


Valkyrie Densetsu Zero Assassin's Fist

by Hollowtaker75



Category: Persona 5, Street Fighter
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Drama & Romance, F/M, Japanese Culture, Major Original Character(s), Martial Arts, OC/OC - Freeform, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2019-11-05 07:36:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 75,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17914595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hollowtaker75/pseuds/Hollowtaker75
Summary: This is the prequel story which follows Robert and Bellemere as they live a traditional warrior's life in secluded Japan. And learn the ancient fighting style known as Ansatsuken (Assassin's Fist). And also the couple will learn about hardship and how they become the first Invisible Lion and The Ultimate Tiger.A/N: Here is a new chapter featuring the Phantom Thieves when they ask Jordan about his grandparents past and the ancient fighting style known as Ansatsuken (Assassin's Fist). And they learn about the mysterious past of Jordan Vermilion, the tragic and dark legacy of the Ansatsuken style.





	1. The Truth about the Vermilion's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the prequel story which follows Robert and Bellemere as they live a traditional warrior's life in secluded Japan. And learn the ancient fighting style known as Ansatsuken (Assassin's Fist). And also the couple will learn about hardship and how they become the Invisible Lion and The Ultimate Tiger.

Chapter 0: The Truth about the Vermilion's

August 7, 2017

We find Jordan Vermilion as he sits with his legs cross in the Vermilion Family Dojo waiting for his student and his allies for a very important meeting and tells them the whole story. Akira Kurusu was the one who called the meeting and he called his friends they wanted to know more of the Vermilion's family past including the mysterious past of Jordan's grandparents and the tragic and dark legacy of the Ansatsuken.

Later Akira Kurusu, Ryuji Sakamoto, Morgana, Ann Takamaki, Yusuke Kitagawa, Makoto Niijima, Futaba Sakura and finally Haru Okumura in the guest quarters of the Vermilion's mansion discuss that they wanted more answers the other members of the Phantom Thieves thinks Jordan is hiding something but Akira thinks that Jordan never do such a thing. This enrage Ryuji who push Akira for taking Jordan's side but Akira counter back and said that he said "I'm not talking about ditching anybody or taking sides I just wanted to respect my master that's all. I don't know Akira Haru said scratching her head. Plus, we don't know Jordan's true intentions he gave us a room to stay but we don't know what's he hiding Akira said Futaba while Ann and Morgana didn't say anything. And we don't know anything about Melissa's intentions as well she can lay a trap on us and we be kicked out of the estate and you are losing Kurusu-san said Yusuke as he tried to reason his friend. But Ryuji grabs Akira and said if Jordan-san really wanted to get rid of us then I will fight him by myself even with a injured leg Ryuji NO!! said Ann tried to control his friend.

Akira snapped and lunged at Ryuji. Everyone groaned including Melissa who was looking without being detected when they both ended up on the floor fighting for the trust of her husband. "Gee a fight between Akira and Ryuji" Futaba asked sarcastically. "Oh, I didn't see that coming" Morgana joined in the sarcasm. Before anyone could react, Akira had catapulted Ryuji right off the patio. After he did that, it seemed to click in his mind that he just threw his best friend off the patio. "Ryuji no. Ryuji” said Akira frantically called his best ally. Everyone peered over the edge to see that Ryuji had embedded his sledgehammer into the side of the patio to keep himself from plummeting to his doom. Whew, okay so the chest pains gone said Haru. He laughed "And you thought katana were the best weapons for a phantom thief said Ryuji". "I am such an idiot" Akira said as he helped Ryuji back onto the surface "You could've been really hurt or most importally killed" "Yeah, you really are an idiot" Ryuji agreed "And I don't hurt that easily wild card boy." Makoto decide at that moment that it would be a good time to tackle Ryuji to the ground and hug him to death "I was so worried, you could've died" Makoto whined Ryuji groaned "I'm fine Makoto" said Ryuji hugging Makoto back "So what are we gonna do Akira" Ann asked handing the scroll back to Akira. "What I should've done in the first place. Talk to Master Vermilion" Akira said. "Now you're making sense" Makoto said and getting up off of Ryuji "To the dojo".

Back at the lair Akira and his friends sat in front of Jordan Vermilion in their meditation poses. Even Melissa joined, much to her chagrin. Jordan stared down at the scroll and the material with the symbol that Haru got from the basement at the South Lake Tahoe museum. He didn't look too happy Jordan sighed “ children, I had hoped this day would never come. I know who these people are, I have always known" he paused for a second then pressed on "This Tiger logo is the symbol of my grandmother. Their leader is Bellemere Vermilion, but she has another name. She called her the Ultimate Tiger". He continued "I have often told you of my beloved Grandparents and they become a powerful couple, but now it is time that I tell you the whole truth said Jordan as he explains the origin story of his grandparents to the Phantom Thieves.

Jordan finally tells the story and it all begins with Japan back in the 1950's. The country was straggling very badly and it was not good do you kids know what it is? After an attack by Godzilla said Ryuji, was there an alien attack said Morgana, was the economy bad throughout the world said Haru, did people got brainwash said Yusuke. No, you guys are both wrong it was Japan defeat during World War II now let me explain the story so you will understand the past said Jordan as he begins narrating

Chapter I Beginnings

  
\- Japan

  
"We have to leave…. there is no time for this…." A young boy stated flatly, his voice carrying the hint of annoyance at his brother's dawdling. They stood at a fish stand they regularly visited…. late for their return home yet again. The air carried the scent of many things, spices and foods that seemed to drift through the air and play with one's nose and imagination. The smell of animals such as chickens and pigs; among other things. The smell of sweat from a hard day's work coming from so many. The sounds of people screaming out their wares or people arguing over prices…. these things were normal at a market.

  
"In a second" Robert replied, staring at a group of young American soldiers marching in the distance a couple miles away, his eyes wide with admiration and curiosity. In one hand he carried a bag full of fish ready to be cooked and eaten for dinner, the bag slipping out of his hands…. his full attention locked unto the troops far away. Suddenly he turned away and began walking away from the market, completely silent as he began the trek back home. The road was lonely, a beaten path stretching out for miles, with wild grass on the sides. Bellemere grunted loudly and started walking moments later, trailing behind his brother and following in silence. The mid-day sky above them was a pale blue that extended forever.

  
Robert was the older boy, at least three years Bellemere's was the younger girl. Robert was 14, Bellemere was 13 years of age. Robert's frame was lean and firm, a typical build for a young boy. Bellemere's however, was thin and frail, and he was at least a foot shorter than her best friend. Robert was the stronger one, he always was. While Bellemere was frequently stricken with illness and confined to her bed, Robert often ran in the fields and played much more than most adults wanted him too. While Robert was loud and expressed his views freely Bellemere often remained silent unless she truly felt that something needed to be said. Robert wore his emotions on his sleeve and was as carefree as anyone could be….while Bellemere was downright stoic, often thought of as cold and emotionless by the other children…children she never played with. Bellemere preferred to hear stories of great samurai and pursue the academics. These two best friends were truly exact opposites, yet they got along just fine. They kept each other at a distance, as much as two brothers could. They let each other be as much as two brothers could.

"Hey Bellemere…"

"What."

  
"Where….where do you think those men are going? They look so unhappy….I bet those uniforms must itch. I'd be grumpy too." Robert frowned slightly as he thought of himself wearing one. His face was round and kind-natured. His hair was a short black mop on top of his head; he did not pay any attention to it except in the morning. His frown faded into a smile as he turned and looked at his childhood friend.

  
"Well?"

  
"They are going off to fight. To take part in some major battle far away…a war no doubt."

  
"A war? WOW! Hey Bellemere…..what's a war?" Robert knew what a war was he just wanted to play dumb and bug his friend.

  
"Arghh…." Bellemere mumbled to himself as she reflected upon the absent-mindedness of her friend. She had to explain everything to him at least ten times….he always forgot it the first time. Bellemere's face was neutral, her slight annoyance hidden. Her long straight red hair going all the way to her chin. Her face was slender, and her eyes carried a weight and awareness beyond the years of a normal girl.

  
"War is a conflict between two parties….usually two or more nations. Right now Japan (our country)….is in the beginning stages of a plan for China-"  
"Oh look!" Robert suddenly shouted as he dived to the ground, picking up a small crystal. He stared at it, his eyes wide and his mouth in an 'o'. Bellemere began to wonder once again why she even bothered.

  
"Like I was saying…"

  
"Bah forget it! Let's go home!"

  
Bellemere sighed to herself as the two brothers slowly walked home. Bellemere's eyes found themselves staring up at the sky, a large group of clouds that were beginning to block out the sun's rays. Was the sky beginning to darken?

  
"A storm is approaching." He said to himself as he closed his eyes and continued walking.

  
"My dear friends, we must stand up!"

  
The voice of a man tired of corruption stood on a pedestal. He was dressed in a brown suit, the jacket missing. Sweat dampened his white shirt, and his glasses were fogged. He was an esteemed professor of the local university, and considered a radical by many of his colleagues. He was in his late thirties, and being watched by the government. He noted the surveillance but did not care.

  
"We must tell our government….war is not the answer! The occupation of China by Japan is unnecessary and downright tyrannical! If they will not listen…. we will FORCE them to listen!" The man shouted, answered by the uproar from supporters listening to him. There was an anti-imperialism rally going on, a crowd of at least 100 came to hear this man speak. Who knows how many more caught a brief satch of the speech while walking past.

  
The speaker paused to wipe his glasses, his breathing heavy yet patient. He silently slipped his glasses back on, and wiped some hair that had fallen into his eyes.  
"Do you see what our government is trying to do?! They're trying to control the world! I have proof of this….a document called the Tanaka Plan….and I will reveal it in a week's time this document will-"

Suddenly something caught the eye of the speaker. Someone in the crowd suddenly began to leave. He aggressively pushed through the crowd on his way out, his back was turned but the speaker could clearly recognize…

  
The uniform of an American General.

  
"DAD!"

  
Robert shouted as he saw his father in the doorway to their house. He immediately took off running at full speed, just to spring up into his arms.

  
"Ummm..what's this?" The father wondered as Robert handed him the bag.

  
"Fish. How was the rally for the thingie?"

  
"The rally against the Tanaka plan you mean? It went wonderfully son."

  
"GREAT!"

  
Bellemere slowly approached Robert's father, her lips began to curl into a slight smile when Robert's father greeted them both with a playful noogie.

  
"And how are you, Bellemere?"

  
"I am fine." Bellemere ran her hand over his hair to fix it.

 

"Good."

  
"A storm is approaching dad said Robert."

  
"I know son….I know." Suddenly his father's smile faded, his eyes looked distant and worried. Robert stared up at his father, trying to find something to say yet nothing came.

  
"Now….let's get some lunch." His father's smile returned as Bellemere and Robert were herded inside.

  
It was now night, and still no rain had come.

  
The house was modest, the dwelling of a comfortable middle class family. There were pictures on the walls, and rows and rows of old books. The family dug into their food like they were truly hungry. Robert ate like a wild animal, while Bellemere ate slowly but without a pause. Mr.Vermilion watched them while eating himself, in a mood of reflection.

  
'Robert…..has Mitsuko's spirit…' The father thought as he reflected on his late wife and mother to his children. She died in labor….Bellemere never knew her, and Robert could barely remember her. It was a shame…she was such a beautiful person. The only woman he had even known that really rebelled against Japan's traditional roles for women. You'd catch her in jeans before you'd ever catch her in a Kimono…..the father chuckled at the thought of it.

  
"Good food Dad…love it." Robert said with a mouth stuffed full of dinner. Bellemere nodded, seconding the notion.

  
"I'm glad you like-"

  
Suddenly there was a loud rapping on the door. An impatient knocking that signified poorly masked anger. Instantly a cold chill ran up the men's spine.  
He got up to answer the door, putting his chair back under the table after standing. Once he opened the door there stood the same general from before, his hard facial features and cold gaze locked onto the professor.

  
"General Tracey, greetings." The professor opened the conversation with.

  
"Professor…I need to have a conversation with you…..alone." The general said, his eyes quickly pouncing upon the children when he uttered 'alone'. Tracey's voice was deep and commanding. His jaw was square and his gloved hands were behind his back.

  
"Kids, go play."

  
"But Dad it's night-"

  
"go play." The man's voice suddenly gained an intense authority, and the kids exited without another word.

  
"Now…what did you come here for Tracey."

  
"That guy's scary." Robert said once they were outside, 15 feet away from the house.

  
"Yeah…"

  
The general stared at the professor, his intense gaze trying to intimidate, but it had no effect.

  
"The government….does not approve of your actions professor."

  
"Well, I never asked the government to approve….and it doesn't concern me if they do or not." Tracey's eyes suddenly widened at the response, then he regained himself.

  
"We….cannot tolerate your course of action any longer professor. Your protests and rallies…..will stop."

  
"The hell they will."

  
Tracey's fists clenched and so did his teeth. He stared at the resistant professor, and the gaze was returned. Neither side was willing, or able to relent.

  
"Professor…..the Tanaka Plan will never be mentioned. Do not mention it."

  
"The world needs to hear it. The world needs to hear what you monsters plan to do….and have already done. I will never stop."

  
The tension in the room was a thick shroud that lay over all. Sweat beaded and cascaded down the professor's round nose, but his eyes were hard as steel.

  
"I hope you understand professor…..I cannot leave until you are silenced."

  
The conversation had escalated; Bellemere and Robert could now hear it from outside.

  
"Wow…they're fighting about something…."

"They're fighting about Dad's protests…"

  
Suddenly a crash could be heard inside. Robert jumped, and Bellemere turned to see. Seconds later, their father came crashing out of the house through the window, laying on the ground 5 feet from the house, peppered with shattered glass. The general calmly walked outside through the door, his movements crisp and mechanical. The professor quickly picked himself off the ground and unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt.

  
"Tracey, is this how you want to settle this? I have the ability to fight you off….I've been taught martial arts."

  
"So have I….you should not be a problem." Tracey stated flatly as he cracked his knuckles and rotated his head, stretching his neck.

  
"Prepare yourself."

  
"Kids….run." the professor whispered as he got into stance. The kids stood frozen, paralyzed by fear.

  
The general rushed forward, faking a left hook which the professor concentrated on….only to strike with a right hook. The professor staggered, and the general did a quick and powerful roundhouse, knocking his opponent to the ground.

  
"Are you kidding me? Pathetic…." The general said as he walked over to the kids' father. Suddenly the professor lashed out with back flip, knocking away the general and regaining his footing at the same time.

  
"Wow….Dad's strong." Robert muttered.

  
"Why hasn't he taught any of those moves? …..Bellemere?" Silence was the response he got from his long time friend.

  
Tracey rushed forward, the professor leaned forward with a punch but missed horribly. The general kneed his opponent in the chest…..then he kneed him again….and again…...and again…..and again. The professor coughed blood as Tracey let him go, the professor falling to the ground limply.

  
The kids stood horrified as Tracey viciously kicked the professor as he lay on the ground, 'encouraging' him to get up. The professor obliged, only to be hit by a punch to the chest, and a backhand so powerful it instantly knocked the professor down once more.

  
Thunder roared across the sky, and it began to rain. Hard, fast rain that cascaded from the heavens, the tears of the gods. Tracey's lips were pulled back in a snarl, his white teeth exposed as he stared down at the beaten professor. He kneeled, and grabbed the professor by his disheveled hair, lifting his head up….facing his children.

  
"Any last words before I end your pathetic life, you traitorous dog?" Tracey's voice carried a sick glee to it as he held the professor's head in his hands, his eyes wide with madness.

  
The kids could only stare, speechless….terrified. The rain beat down on all of them…soaking their clothes.

  
"The Kids…" The professor began…still coughing up blood.

  
"I love you…always know that….and I'm sorry-" The professor was interrupted by Tracey snapping his neck. The general let the professor fall to the wet ground, a grin still on the general's face. Lightning flashed through the sky, bathed Tracey in an eerie light as he stared up at the kids.  
"Robert…..you are now a orphan." And with that, Tracey turned to leave.

  
Tears welled up in Robert's eyes as he began to shake uncontrollably. Bellemere was silent, her hands balled into tight fists at her sides, her upper teeth sinking into her lower lip, holding back the tears.

  
"My dad…..you killed him….You killed him you demon!"

  
Robert screamed at the top of his lungs as he threw himself at Tracey, his wet eyes shut tight. Before he could attack, a sharp roundhouse without even looking from Tracey stopped him, the force of the impact so powerful it flung him against a tree trunk 10 feet away, knocking him unconscious.

  
Bellemere's lower lip now oozed blood, the tears now streaming down her face. Her fists were shaking violently, but she said nothing. She stared up at the grinning Tracey, his eyes sad and filled with the strongest rage.

  
"And I suppose you're going to fight me too boy?"  
"…"  
"Hmph. You're more pathetic than your friend. Die in the streets for all I care." Tracey turned to leave, the rain beating down on all….the tears bathing them all.

Bellemere stood there, for seemingly hours…crying silently, his blood mixing with his tears with all of this mixing with the hard rain.

  
"Do you...wish to be strong child?" A voice suddenly said from the night. Bellemere turned to find a man standing behind him. The man wore black, the veil of the night was too thick for him to see what in particular. The man had long black hair behind him that extended to the middle of his back, with seldom streaks of gray peppering it. He was taller than most men, with broad shoulders draped in a long trench coat. The man's face showed that he was at least middle aged, but his form was that of a fighter in his prime. The man stared down at him with piercing black eyes.

  
"Well girl!? Do you wish to be strong?" The man said again. Bellemere nodded slowly.

  
"Well gather your friend and come with me."

  
Lighting flashed across the night sky as the gods continued weeping, and the lives of two young kids changed forever.

Chapter II: No work, No Eats

  
"I love you...always know that...and I'm sorry-"

  
"!"

Suddenly Robert's eyes shot open. He jumped up, only to topple to the ground. His body smacked the hardwood floor with a low thump, and a split second later a wave of fabric washed over him. He thrashed wildly, flinging the covers from over his head. He then realized where he was. A bedroom, and he had just fallen out of a bed. His eyes darted around his surroundings...a small room. The sunlight softly poured into the cozy place, and the air was comfortable and quiet. It smelled of cinnamon and fresh vegetables. There was minimal furniture. A desk with a chair neatly arranged, a half-full bookcase to the far wall, and a dresser that went up to Robert's shoulder. He heard birds chirping outside, through a closed window. He bounded up on his feet, only to stumble. He was still weak.

  
"Oh, so you're up!"

  
Robert turned around sharply to find a woman staring directly at him, a woman he had never seen before.

  
She was middle-aged, but it didn't really show in her body. She was lean, but still slightly curvy. She was wrapped in a long purple kimono, her black hair peppered with gray wrapped up and impaled by two purple sticks jutting out of the back of her head. Her face was kind-hearted and her smile was warm, the creases of wrinkles evident. Her hands were clasped in front of her as she looked at the confused and slightly frightened Robert.

  
"Hello Robert! There is some soup in the kitchen if you are hungry...you've had a long sleep."

  
"Who are you?! Where's my girlfriend-"

  
The woman put a single finger to Robert's lips, silencing him with a soft 'shh'. Instantly Robert's mind began to calm itself. A soft wave passed through his face and cascaded downward. His tense muscles began to relax. His fear and confusion paused for more information.

  
"Who are you?" Robert said, softer this time.

  
"My name is Sayaka, I am Goutetsu's wife." She said sweetly. Robert stared up at her, puzzled. He didn't know where he was still.

  
"Who's this Goutetsu?"

  
"Oh yes! You don't know him! Silly me...well child you have been unconscious for the past three days. Goutetsu is the kind man that brought you and your brother here."

  
"Three days..."

  
"Yes, the injuries you suffered would have killed the average person your age...somehow you survived without any serious damage. You're a lucky little fellow!" Sayaka said as she playfully pinched Robert's cheek. Robert overheard a bird chirping as Sayaka pulled her hand back.

  
"I want to see my girlfriend." He said, sterner this time.

  
"She's right outside. Do you want anything to eat or drink Robert?"

  
"No...thank you." Robert said as he stared down at the floor.

  
"I almost forgot! Here are your clothes!" Sayaka suddenly disappeared into a different room. Robert stood there for a few minutes in silence and alone...thinking. His father was dead...and he and his brother were orphans. People he didn't even know suddenly took him and Bellemere under their wing... Robert was puzzled, the entire situation confused him.

  
'What am I going to do now?' he thought to himself.

  
Suddenly Sayaka emerged holding an olive colored gi in Robert's size.

  
"Here, go wash up and put this on. They're waiting for you outside." Sayaka said with a bright smile.

  
Robert wordlessly obeyed.

  
Goutetsu eyed his two new students, his piercing gaze locked on to the two young teens. Robert and Bellemere both stood rigidly upright, their chins high, their feet together, and their arms held tightly at their sides. Neither stirred under their new master's cold stare.

  
The area around them was a dense forest. Mountains could be seen in the far distance. The dojo was surrounded by dense trees; hidden behind walls of green and brown. Hidden from view after only a few minutes of walking down beaten paths. Right next to Robert and Bellemere was a creek, but this stream carried a rough current. The sun was merciless as it beat down on master and teacher.

  
Bellemere stood in a neat earth-colored gi, an intense expression on her face. She was staring directly at Goutetsu...directly into Goutetsu. She seemed eager to learn and ready to begin. Robert concentrated on his new master also, but in a different way. Robert stared at Goutetsu the way a mischievous schoolboy would look at a teacher that was threatening to call his mother.

  
"Robert Your father is gone and Bellemere you parents abounded you. You are with me now. And I can teach you, show you how to be strong. I can bring things out of you that you never knew you had. Your body, mind, and spirit can be one...if you listen to my instruction." Goutetsu paused, and looked at the two kids. Their eyes were locked onto his, absorbing every word.

  
"My name is Goutetsu...and if you desire to learn my art, you must prove yourself worthy. You must show me that you are strong in spirit, then I will begin to teach you. See the water?" Goutetsu pointed, and his students' heads quickly turned to look.

  
"That is where your test lies. You must best it. If you can conquer it's powerful current, I will train you."

  
Robert stared at the creek in amazement and horror. The water rapidly rushed along casting foamy bubbles near the edges. The water was so clear you could see the mossy floor. His mouth hung open as he imagined himself quickly drowning.  
"Master...when does our test begin?" Bellemere asked humbly.

  
"NOW!"

  
Without warning, Goutetsu picked both kids up by the collars of their gis and flung them into the water. With a loud splash they fell, water spraying outwards in all directions.

  
The second they hit the water animal instinct took hold. They began to claw at the water, thrashing and screaming and kicking. But it got them nowhere, only carried them further downstream.

  
Goutetsu drove a stake into the ground at a certain point upstream.

  
"If you can reach this point, you are ready. Remember my pupils...'Where the mind goes, the body follows'" With that...he turned and left. The stake was 30 feet away from the thrashing children.

  
The two kids struggled to fight the raging waters, but to no avail. They only were swept farther away from the stake in the ground. 'That thing has to be so far away now...I have to stop myself...' Robert thought as he dug his feet into the ground below the water, slowing down his momentum. He held the air in his lungs tight as the cold rushed over his head and completed its hold on Robert.

  
"Argh!" Bellemere shouted in frustration as she was further carried downstream. She was now completely underwater, and his breath was getting short. She only sunk deeper as she thrashed, her lungs losing air. Feeling like they were about to explode. His shoulder crashed into a large rock lodged at the floor of the stream, making her shout in pain..which made her lose more air. Bellemere could not see her boyfriend.

  
Suddenly an arm reached out and grabbed Bellemere's arm..pulling her back to the surface.

  
"Robert..." Bellemere muttered, in between coughing up water.

  
Robert held on to his younger brother, a determined look on his face. They were deadlocked, the two and the raging river. Robert and Bellemere stood still, fighting just to hold their position. The water went up to their necks now, and the current pushed at them with the determination only a force of nature could easily muster.  
"We can't do it...the current is too fast...we're too little... Bellemere muttered, his hope crumbling.

 

"We have to try. If we work together, we can do it! If we combine our strength and weight...we can win!"

  
"..." Bellemere said nothing, but his eyes revealed he was listening as he stared forward.

  
"Have faith Bellemere...for once...trust me. We just need to coordinate our movements. And swim."

  
"I can't…swim." Bellemere gobbled a bit of water.

  
"Just do what I'm doing. And put some muscle into it."

  
They latched arms, holding on to each other tightly. They were now unified in one mission: conquer the current.

  
"Let's take it slow, take one step..." They slowly took one step, then another. Then another.

  
Suddenly Robert slipped and sunk underwater. A split second later he was caught by his girlfriend.

  
"I won't let you fall. We can do this." Bellemere smiled, something he rarely did.

  
Slowly but surely, they fought against the current and began to move forward. The rushing water slammed into their young bodies, but they kept on. The stake was now but 10 feet away.

  
"Husband, look!" Sayaka grabbed her husband and pointed to the window. Sayaka was proud of the kids, and excited for them.  
"They're actually doing it."

  
Goutetsu muttered something and stared at the two kids struggling through the water. They were progressing quite nicely, it seems as if they would succeed.

Goutetsu grunted and then returned to drinking his tea. Sayaka frowned at her husband's lack of an excited response.

  
"We're..almost...there." Robert muttered, drained of all energy. The both of them were. A couple steps later, both the kids' hands had touched the stake. They hoisted themselves up to the bank of the stream, dripping wet, cold, and tired.

  
"We...did...it..." Bellemere muttered, her breathing labored. They both collapsed on the ground, not moving, still breathing and staring up.

  
"You did well kids, I am pleased." Goutetsu appeared outside, standing a few feet behind the resting children. Robert thought of his father after Goutetsu congratulated them but said nothing. Bellemere was now looking at the tops of trees reaching for the sky. He wondered what was next.

  
"You have passed the test and proven yourselves worthy of training. Now...rest. Tomorrow may very well be the hardest day of your young lives."

  
Chapter III: A Slight Enlightenment

  
"…So what do you think will happen tomorrow?" Robert asked his girlfriend as they both were seated at the table. Dinner was soup and rice, enough to feed two families. The night sky had the full moon in a firm grip, the glow bathing the forest. The stirrings of insects could be heard outside, but it was not loud enough to be distracting.

  
"We will train…I guess." Bellemere muttered, in between chewing.

  
The room was rather comfy, the few paintings that decorated the walls were all natural scenes. None of them looked Japanese in origin. A couple of small bonsai trees were placed on shelves, making the room seem more living and less like a dusty unused guestroom. The air was moist, but not humid. The light brown floorboards beneath them looked aged, but not old….a sort of long lasting dignity that resisted decline and decay with an inhuman ferocity, an attitude the entire house seemed to carry.

  
"Yeah….he did say we were ready….but I still don't get it. Why is he doing this for us? What does he want with us? Why us?"

  
"I do not know….maybe he felt sorry for us. Maybe he wanted to look after children, it seems he doesn't have any of his own to care for." As Bellemere inserted another mouthful she wondered if Goutetsu had children but lost them. As he chewed he thought about how conveniently Goutetsu appeared as Robert lost his father. As she swallowed Bellemere tried to force thoughts of his father from her mind.

  
"Maybe he's psycho, you ever think about that?! Maybe he wants to kill us and chop our bodies up into little pieces!" Robert shrieked, Bellemere could only chuckle as he stared sullenly at his plate.

  
"Bellemere…..do you ever think about your parents?"

  
"…." Bellemere was silent as the words sunk in. She stared at the floor; his eyes began to well with tears. She had pushed it out of his mind for the past 4 days…but it all came flooding back. Her parent's last words echoed in her mind….they had been hammering themselves into Bellemere's psyche ever since it happened. There was nothing Bellemere could say to himself to keep the thoughts away for long. There was nothing Bellemere could have done to change that….her parents abounded her because she was too weak to go against them…...

  
Bellemere abruptly forced the tears back with a quick sniff and quickly returned to drinking her tea and eating….not looking up at her boyfriend, pretending nothing was wrong. Robert stared at her with her hands motionless on the table, her face showing the hurt.

  
"I miss my parents too….."

  
They continued to eat in silence, then they went to bed. Robert stared at the ceiling for an hour in bed. Bellemere wept silently for a few minutes, her sadness rocking him to sleep. Her cold tears easing him toward rest. Neither of them could see the moon from their window.

  
\- the next day at dawn

  
Pain.

  
There was only one thing flashing through Bellemere's mind at the time, and for the last hour. And that was inescapable pain. The training ground's old, thick marble tiles hurt, since she was instructed to do 100 push-ups without rest…on her knuckles.

  
Her hair was matted around his face, his body drained of energy. He was only on his 30th push-up.

  
Robert her boyfriend stood 3 feet across from him, both of them tired. The rising sun cast an orange-red reflection into the pool of Robert and Bellemere's collective sweat. The sun laughed at them, with soft pink and orange clouds joining in the scoffing. The nearby forest was still sleeping; hardly any sounds could be heard. The silence surrounded them, the entire setting watching them suffer.

  
"I don't know….how…much…longer…..we can…..hold out…." Robert breathed, straining to keep on going. He imagined his arms as two tree branches that were about to snap with one crisp sound.

  
"..argh….but we have to try…" Bellemere mumbled, trying to numb her aching body but it refused to be ignored. It gnawed at him, slowly eating away her resolve. Gradually slowing her pace.

  
"No….it's no use…..we can't….." Bellemere felt the chill of the morning air as he exhaled. Her forearms began to quiver slightly when she rose.  
"No! How are we going to finish if you're talking like that?! We must do these push-ups…..what would our parents think of us if we quit eh? We gotta make them proud!" Robert managed to convince himself also as he spoke.

  
Instantly Bellemere began quickening her pace, determined to finish up. Robert noticed his re-newed strength, and upped his pace as well.

  
In minutes they had done 60.

  
Then 80.

  
Their bodies were screaming in pain….moaning for rest, but both kids refused. They pressed on, eager to impress their master and honor their father's strength. "only 5 more…." Robert mumbled as his nose lightly tapped the marble ground, then began to rise upward again. Neither kids made a sound as they clenched their teeth and continued exercising.

  
Then, they finished.

  
Bellemere and Robert triumphantly collapsed to the ground, falling into the pool of their own sweat with a soft splash. They couldn't speak, their heavy breathing dominating all. Their chests rose and fell as they lay there, bathing in their victory.

  
Slowly their heavy breathing turned light, and the two young students began to feel their strength returning to them.

  
"You two aren't done yet." Suddenly Goutetsu's voice appeared, and seconds later his body. He was dressed in a brown karate gi with white cuffs and buttons, his shirt unbuttoned, exposing his gray haired chest. His long hair was tied back by a single piece of thread. He had been watching them the whole time, somewhere in the shadows were he couldn't be viewed.

  
"…what?….." Robert stuttered….his eyes wide with a strange sense of terror.

  
"You think that was it boy? A hundred push-ups? That is only the beginning my students. Get up! There is more to do. It is a 4 mile walk to the waterfall, it'd be in your best interests to get there before the noon time sun bakes you alive."

  
Robert and Bellemere began to groan, slowly rising.

  
"GET UP!" Goutetsu's voice suddenly thundered, his eyes stabbing the kids at their very cores. The young students promptly obeyed. They snapped up and stood up straight.

  
"Here we are." Goutetsu muttered, his voice surprisingly..happy. They stood on the face of a hill, with a rushing waterfall cascading downward. It's clear water shimmering from the sun's rays. Large trees were sprinkled all around them, trees so tall Robert and Bellemere could not see the tops of them, their trunks at least 4 feet in diameter. The leaves blocked out the sun a little, creating an odd blend of light and darkness, an unrecognizable pattern known only by nature. In the far distance there was a grouping of mountains, their peaks reaching up to the heavens.

  
"Wow….this place….." Bellemere muttered, reaching her outstretched hand out to the far away mountains, as if she were inches from touching them.

  
"Robert. Bellemere. Listen and pay attention." Goutetsu said as he walked over to the waterfall, dipping his hand into the rushing water, and bringing a cupped hand full of water to his lips. He took a slow sip and let the rest escape through his fingers.

  
"Do you know what ki is…my students?" He asked, his voice quite curious.

  
They both modestly shook their heads. Robert noticed the morning chill had left.

  
"Then, I shall explain it to you and enlighten you. Come." Goutetsu walked forward, straight into the water. His stride never slowed, the rushing waters seemingly not affecting him at all. He stopped at the waterfall, a point where a wall was about 17 feet straight upwards and the water toppled downwards and kept on flowing. Goutetsu closed his eyes and sat down cross-legged at the foot of the waterfall, drawing in one deep breath. The water crashing all around him, but it did not seem to affect him at all."….do the same." Goutetsu said as he nodded towards his students. Bellemere immediately obeyed, walking over to the waterfall and sitting cross-legged in the same fashion his master did. Robert stood frozen, unable to move.

  
'That water has got to be freezing…I'm so tired…'. He thought.

  
"Robert, did you not hear? I said sit." Goutetsu's voice slowly rose with authority. It had a tendency to do that, the intensity slowly building as he became irritated. Robert nodded and sat, on the right side of Goutetsu while Bellemere took the left.

  
"I'm sorry for my hesitation master."

  
"Do not apologize. Show me you are sorry by listening to what I say."

  
Robert nodded solemnly. The water continued it's shimmering, the light bouncing around and moving like it was living itself. The water was cold, a biting cold that seemed to claw at the students with every drop that hit them. Bellemere winced as the icy cold water splashed on the back of his neck, sending chills running up and down his body. He wondered if his body would go numb from the cold and if he would fall ill because of it.

  
"Master Goutetsu, if I may…what is the point of this?" Bellemere asked.

  
"Hmmm..this is an exercise in many things, one of them discipline. The water is cold is it? Well, if you don't let the water affect you….it won't."

  
"Whaaaaaa?" Bellemere and Robert both said at the simultaneously. Goutetsu chuckled slightly at their response.

  
"You say the water is cold…..it is just your mind telling your body the water is cold. If you can convince your mind otherwise….it will not affect you."

  
Bellemere and Robert stared up at him, confused yet interested.

  
"Your mind will bend to your spirit. When this happens your mind, body, and spirit will become one."

  
Goutetsu paused and looked down at his students, they were soaking it up like sponges.

  
"When this happens, you able to do things you never thought possible…..through ki."

  
"Wait…this 'ki' is some type of drug? A food? A drink?" Bellemere asked, puzzled.

  
"No. It is energy. Ki is something that exists in all living things, it is the power of their spirits. Ki is an energy that can be used to destroy, create, and all in between."

  
"Wha? Well…how come I've never seen this 'ki' used before? If we all have it…we should all be able to use it right?" Robert questioned. He noted that the water was still very cold.

  
"Not all people even know of their own ki….most write it off as folklore. Also…in order to use ki one must make themselves one with their mind, body, and spirit. One must study it intensely. These things must be one in order for ki to be manipulated."

  
"I understand master…." Bellemere muttered.

  
"Now, sit under this waterfall. Let yourselves drift away from it…using your mind. Do not focus on the cold water, or your aches and pains….let it all go and relax. Breathe deeply and let the thoughts in your mind drift where they please. Do not try to hold them or direct them. Purge your mind of such trivial matters…and focus on unifying yourself. This is the way." Goutetsu instructed, his voice slow and carrying weight.

  
Bellemere and Robert attempted to follow. They both closed their eyes, sinking into a trance…keeping their minds blank.

  
Slowly, the world around them began to fade away…the sounds of nature fading slowly, the sunlight darkening. The intense cold they felt was no longer that, it had been reduced to a slight breeze.

  
Slowly the world around them began to fade away…until there was nothing left. Just darkness…and silence.

  
"Bellemere…..?!"

  
Robert turned to find his girlfriend next to him.

  
"Where are we?!"

  
"I don't know….." Bellemere answered.

  
"Congratulations, my students." A voice came out of nowhere, it was Goutetsu's. He suddenly appeared in front of them, his form wavy and intangible.  
"You two have just learned how to deeply meditate. This technique will unite your mind, body and spirit if they ever become disconnected. Meditation is a valuable asset to martial artists, and I require you meditate daily. Understand?"

  
"We understand master."

  
"Now, we still have more to do. The physical world awaits." Goutetsu turned and began walking.

  
"Um…master?" Robert asked.

  
"Yes?"

  
"How do we exit this realm? There seems to be no end to it…."

  
Goutetsu laughed in response.

  
"It's simple my boy! Just open your eyes!"

  
*FLASH*

  
Robert found himself back under the waterfall. He never left the scenic meditation place. Bellemere was right beside him; slowly she was coming back to the physical world. Goutetsu stood over the both of them, a proud smile on his face.

  
"You have learned meditation in the shortest amount of time I have ever witnessed." He said flatly, still smiling.

  
"Now, we go back to the training ground."

  
Robert looked up at the sky, it would be night in a few hours. The sun was but a tiny semi-circle over the horizon, with ribbons of red and oranges trailing after it. Both students stood up, and immediately collapsed to the ground.

  
"Ah yes…you have been sitting there for at least 4 hours….your legs are probably tired. I give you a 5 minute break to stretch, then we go back."  
"Master….we are so tired….can't we rest….please?" Robert mumbled.

  
"I'm not ready to retire yet. I've learned so much…I'm ready to learn more master." Bellemere said, Robert stuck his tongue out at his girlfriend in response.

Bellemere ignored him.

  
"Robert! You should adopt the hunger for knowledge your girlfriend possesses. It would benefit you. Now, come. You have to learn the basic punches and kicks. And they will be in perfect form….even if it takes all night."

  
Robert groaned as Bellemere nodded with a quick 'yes master'. Master and students began walking home through grass up to their ankles.

Chapter IV: Extreme Lessons

  
FAP!

  
A burst of air shot from Bellemere's extended arm, the gray sleeve of his gi snapping at the quick motion. Bellemere's fist paused, then retracted back to its place in stance.

  
FAP!

  
Another punch. An automatic motion that drilled itself into the young student's mind. She saw her master's perfect form, and wanted to perfect her movements as well. But it still wasn't good enough.

  
The rising sun was an orange ball that watched Bellemere train, an unblinking eye that observed all. Bellemere rose from bed early this morning ahead of everyone else, to practice her form. Before she left her bedroom she pulled the covers back over her slumbering boyfriend. She had shaken them off while thrashing in her sleep.

  
She felt his punch could come out faster than it did. She pictured her master's punch…..a snake lashing outward in a violent flash and before one could blink it had returned to it's nest. Bellemere wanted to achieve that speed desperately.

  
The cold moisture on the ancient marble floor felt refreshing, the smell of the green trees around him calmed his mind. The young student took in a deep breath…releasing it slowly with closed eyes. Her hands carefully formed into fists at her sides, her elbows cocked behind her. She slowly backed into stance, the toes of the foot in front facing her imaginary opponent and the foot in back pivoted on the ball, her heel off the ground. One fist rested on the side of her on her waist, right on her belt while the other stood out in front of her guarding.

  
She tensed her muscles as he readied herself. Then his fist shot forward.-

  
"Bellemere, what are you doing?!"

  
A voice shot through the stillness, shattering Bellemere's concentration. It was her boyfriend Robert, staring at him in annoyance.

  
"Practicing." Bellemere answered flatly.

  
"There's nothing to practice."

  
"Yes there is. I know you remember the basic attacks master taught us….."

  
"You're practicing THOSE?! What for?! They're easy." Robert genuinely looked surprised Bellemere was up so early rehearsing his straight punch.

  
"For you they are. But I want to perfect them." Bellemere shot back.

  
"It's a waste of time. They're stupid. I'll practice something worth practicing…like when master gets around to teaching us the 'touch of death' I read about in a book one time. Can you believe that you can kill someone just by touching them? That's so amazing…I wish I could-"

  
"How do you expect master to teach us things like that….when you blow off your training like you do? Sure, you can punch and kick decently….but we have to master what we've learned before we can really move on."

  
"Eww! The last thing you said made you sound like him! Quit being such a doofus."

  
"You're a moron Robert. A pathetic caveman." Bellemere spat.

  
"Well you're a weak teacher's pet. Practice all you want, I can still kick your skinny little butt anytime. If you got off Goutetsu's nuts maybe I would teach you some things."

  
"You should refer to master Goutetsu with respect. Call him master."

  
"I'll call him what I want."

  
"You'll call him master!"

  
"The hell I will!"

  
Instantly Bellemere's eyes filled with rage as she lunged at Robert. They tossed each other to the ground with a thud, clawing and kicking one another. A thick cloud of dust swirled as they rolled around on the ground fighting, neither gaining the upper hand.

  
Suddenly Robert viciously punched his girlfriend in the stomach as he secured her in a headlock. Bellemere thrashed wildly, but could not match her boyfriend's strength. Bellemere absorbed another blow in the stomach by her boyfriend, and she went limp….taken by dizziness. Bellemere was let out of the hold and he crashed to the ground, clutching her upset stomach and cursing her boyfriend under his breath. Robert stood over his girlfriend; a confident smile plastered on his face…an arrogant sneer in his eyes. Robert was always the athletic one, and Robert always won the fights.

  
"You can't tell me what to do." He said as he turned his back to his girlfriend and walked back inside. Bellemere glared at him as he left, anger boiling inside her. To Robert when he won a fight he was automatically right, and there was rarely a fight Robert lost….and it annoyed Bellemere to no end.

  
Bellemere lay on the ground, staring up at the sky. Her anger began to slowly melt away as she stared at the birds soaring through the air above him. 'Anger will….only hold me back.' She thought to herself. She stuffed his resentment deep inside himself and picked himself off the ground.

  
She wordlessly and calmly got back into stance, clearing her mind of negative thoughts…letting her power flow through her.

  
FAP! The sound of the punch continued to echo throughout the lonely area as Bellemere lost count of how many punches she'd done. In the distance watched Goutetsu, impressed by one of his students' dedication yet upset over another's attitude…..

  
The Couple refused to talk to each other as they walked down the lonely path back home. They even refused to look at one another, Bellemere staring at the ground as she walked and Robert up at the sky.

  
It was late afternoon. The clouds were a soft blue and the grass before them was speckled with brown. It was a dirt road, a 3 mile walk from the market back to their newfound home.

  
Bellemere carried a small bag of herbs. Different extracts of plants from around the world that Goutetsu used in tea and various mixes to treat anything from a sore muscle to a migraine. The brown bag bounced lightly as Bellemere walked.

  
Bellemere was still angry. She refused to acknowledge her anger, but she couldn't ignore it either. It festered in the back of his mind like a parasitic worm….growing every minute. Robert didn't seem to notice, or maybe Bellemere was good at hiding it.

  
They both continued to silently shun each other as they walked on….the sun staring at them in annoyance.

  
"Hey kids." The voice from behind them was confident and there was a hint of mockery in the tone.

  
The couple turned to find a sneering face staring at them. It was an adolescent boy, no younger than 14 smiling at them…his form lanky and tall. He appeared awkward, as if he didn't know the size of his own body as he walked…a shuffle that let his arms sway from back to front.

  
"Who are you?" Bellemere asked, wondering.

 

Suddenly 4 more boys approached, two on each side of Bellemere and Robert. One was short and fat, his shirt much too small…exposing his stomach and pulling at his fat. Another boy was short and muscular, sweat glistening off his shirtless chest. Another boy was skinny….with thick glasses. And the last boy was just tall and large, at least 6 feet tall. The average age of the boys was about 16.

  
Bellemere and Robert quickly exchanged a glance, and instantly slid backwards slowly into fighting stances.

  
"Why the wittle couple all tense? We just want to play a little…" The boy in front snickered; this was followed by soft chuckles from his gang.

  
"What do you want." Robert said sternly.  
"A fee….for using our road. And we'll take your package there too."

  
"This isn't your road…and we aren't giving you anything." Robert said, his eyes locked on the slim leader.

  
"Oh yeah?" The gang took a few steps forward simultaneously, closing in.

  
"YEAH!"

  
"Well then…" The leader started with a smile….

  
"We have no other choice but to rough you kiddies up….GET EM BOYS!"

  
"Get ready Bellemere!" Robert screamed as he turned around, only to meet a fist flying into his face. The boys immediately pounced on their young prey as soon as their leader uttered the words.

  
Robert stumbled, narrowly avoiding another punch only to meet a swift kick to the back of the head from behind. Robert crashed to the dirt road, kicking up a cloud of dust.

  
As soon as he fell blows began raining down on him from above. All 5 of the boys attacked him, kicking and punching like beasts. Robert thrashed but could not escape the waves of pain that swept over his body.

  
"Get away from him!" Bellemere screamed at the top of her lungs as she ran at top speed, her fist cocked, ready to explode upon the nearest target. The short fat kid rushed forward, and Bellemere lashed out with a punch that floored him to the ground. Another punk kid lunged at Bellemere with a roundhouse kick. Bellemere swatted it away and returned with a spinning elbow that connected with the kid's jaw. Bellemere heard a soft 'pop' as the kid toppled. His jaw might be broken, Bellemere could not tell.

  
The gang moved away from the fallen Robert and focused their attention to Bellemere, surrounding her. The other 2 kids picked themselves off the ground and joined the circle. The scene was at a standstill as the gang encircled him, their hungry eyes focused on him. Bellemere stood in stance her serious eyes darted quickly from kid to kid, her muscles tense and her guard up.

  
'How…how am I going to fight off all these guys….they are so big….so strong…I could take them one at time…but 5 at once?…..' Bellemere's mind raced as she felt time was running out.

  
'Must remember my training…..must be calm…let the movements…flow…where would be a best place to strike?…..'

  
Suddenly words from his master appeared in his mind:"Your knowledge is impressive Bellemere, but information can be a burden. Feel, don't think, and knots will untie themselves."

  
Suddenly the best course of action seemed clear. Bellemere would react to them, instead of vice versa…..she would flow against them. She would crash around and between them. Through them. Bellemere began to relax as her muscles did the same. He was ready.

  
"HYAAAAHHHH!" the short muscular kid charged forward with a punch that Bellemere easily dodged, which was followed by a knee that connected with Bellemere's stomach. Bellemere stumbled but bounced back with a jumping front kick that caught the advancing punk right in the head, making his head fly backwards..his body flopping behind smacking the hard earth.

  
Another one quickly took his place, and then another. Bellemere mechanically deflected and countered her opponents, calling upon her training as if second nature. Robert stood from the sidelines in amazement.

  
"How..does he remember it so quickly? I guess his training pays off…." Robert turned as the leader's fist came careening at him. He ducked, narrowly avoiding it..then Robert jumped backwards.

  
"Hmmm….let's go, if you think you're so tough." The leader said, snickering.

  
Robert said nothing. He lunged forward with a front kick that the leader swatted away. Robert followed with an unrefined punch that was far too slow, the leader caught his fist and returned by punching Robert twice in the face and stomach. Robert fell to one knee, only to jump back into stance in a split second's time.  
"Hah. Now…this gets interesting." The leader snickered as suddenly a switchblade emerged in his left hand. The blade glistened in the sun, it's edge sharp. Robert's eyes widened.

  
"Dodge this!" The leader rushed forward, slashing from left to right. Robert struggled to dodge, but the last slash nicked his shirt, cutting a 5-inch wide cut on the front. Robert countered with a roundhouse that clipped the leader's arm, but the leader followed with a punch that crashed into Robert's chest from his unarmed fist. Robert stumbled, then he felt something.

  
A raw 'shuck' sound as a knife blade embedded itself into Robert's shoulder, in the front near where his arm was connected to the rest of him. Robert screamed in terrible pain, his wail loud and primal. He dashed backwards, clutching his shoulder…on the verge of crying. He was crouched low to the ground while the leader of the gang flicked blood off of the blade of his knife. Bellemere was still busy with the other boys. The gang never interfered while the leader fought someone anyway. Unless he asked them to.

  
"What's wrong? Little baby gonna cry?!" The leader laughed as Robert's tears turned into pure rage. His left arm was useless…but his right arm was itching to taste the leader's blood.

  
"ARGGGHHHHHH!" Robert lashed outward, ramming into the leader knocking him to the ground. Robert punched viciously, not caring what he hit or if he hit at all. His attacks were brutal and savage, pulled from something deep within, something deep within us all human beings. He did not know how many times he struck the leader as he lay there with Robert on top of him…tears pouring down his face. It seemed like forever, but it was only minutes. When Robert calmed himself…the leader lay in a pool of his own blood. His face was smashed…his nose broken, teeth missing and he had a swollen left eye. He was unconscious, his eyes rolled in the back of his head. Robert wheezed as he stared at his hands. His fists were cut and bleeding…mixing the blood of his and the leader's. His eyes were wide as he stared in astonishment and fear. He had let himself go…..

  
Robert turned to find that Bellemere had disposed on her enemies also. They all lay still on the ground, broken and bloody. Bellemere had minor cuts and bruises, and a black eye. Otherwise she was fine. They both smiled at each other…staring into each other's eyes. The bond between them appeared restored.

  
"OH my God! Your arm!" Bellemere screamed and pointed. Robert's entire left arm was drenched in blood. There were several thin lines of red running down to his fingertips from the wound in his shoulder. It stained one side of his gi a deep red….the blood running to the tips of his fingers…collecting in a dark splotch on the ground.

  
Robert stared, his eyes transfixed upon his wound. The terrible pain began to flood through is body once again.

  
"Come on…we have to go." Bellemere said as she grabbed the package of herbs and walked over to her boyfriend.

  
"But we won…." Robert blinked incredibly slowly and smiled.

  
"Here…lean on me….we can do it." She said softly as he helped Robert up.

  
Together they walked home, making light conversation about anything other than fighting, blood and stab wounds.

  
"Hmmmmm…." Goutetsu looked up and down the couple. Wordlessly he walked up to Robert. They had arrived back at the dojo a few minutes earlier. They were still a brief walk away from the actual house. The wind had picked up substantially since they left. The clouds were thin and the sky grainy.

  
"Does your arm hurt?"

  
"Yes master."

  
Wordlessly Goutetsu placed his hand upon the shoulder wound, inspecting it. Robert winced in sharp pain, but almost immediately after he felt better.  
"It is not that serious. The knife wasn't in there deep enough to cause any permanent injury. However, there may be a scar." Goutetsu said.

  
"That is fine…I want to have a scar. I want to remember what happened today…." The wind blew Robert's hair in his face but his expression was still solemn.  
"Why is that Robert?" Goutetsu looked down at his student interested to find out his answer.

  
"I neglected my training master. And it was the price I paid for my foolishness. From now on…I will train hard master Goutetsu." Robert said, his voice flat.  
"Good. But don't just tell me…show me."

  
"Yes master."

  
"Now…both of you go inside…I'll clean you up. After you will eat and bathe in the hot springs. Your training will be postponed for today….for today you have learned a lesson few receive."

  
"And what is that master?" Bellemere questioned.

  
"You know already. Now…come." Goutetsu turned and began walking back. The air was thick with the feeling of understanding as the master and students walked back home.

  
Chapter V: Prelude

  
"Get ready to feast on gravel Robert! I'm going to end this now….it's almost time for dinner!"

  
Robert laughed as he slapped away his girlfriend's front kick. They stood at the summit of a plateau a couple of miles from their house, training as usual. The sky was clear, the sound of distant trees bowing to the slight wind comforting to the ears. There were few clouds.

  
Robert had a sly smile on his face as he rushed forward, cocking back his fist.

  
"READY!?" he screamed. Bellemere just stood in stance.

  
Robert lashed out with a punch which Bellemere easily avoided, only to be hit by a roundhouse from the opposite side that clipped Bellemere's head. Bellemere stumbled but regained herself quickly.

  
"What? You thought that punch was it? Come on, one should never attack head on like that. Didn't you know it was a fake out?"  
"Yeah sure…just wasn't ready."

  
"Well, be ready next time. HAH!" Robert sprang high and fell with a drop kick that slashed through the air. Bellemere narrowly avoided the attack; then avoided the roundhouse that followed as soon as Robert's feet touched the ground.

  
Bellemere jabbed twice with his right fist, then followed with a cross from his left. Robert blocked them all, and retaliated with a sweep that knocked Bellemere's legs from under him. Bellemere began to fall, but caught himself…turning the fall into a back flip, landing safely 10 feet away from his sparring partner.  
"If you can knock me to the ground, you win." Bellemere stated.

  
"And I get your dessert?"

  
"And you get my dessert."

  
"All RIGHT! Today's rice cakes!" Robert shouted as he charged forward. The couple had now been under Goutetsu's instruction for 8 months. And it was clearly evident; their bodies were strong and agile. They had gotten used to their new lives, their parents now a close memory.

  
"Is that it? You'll have to do better if you want my dessert Robert." Bellemere taunted as she evaded her boyfriend's roundhouse, sweep, and backfist. Robert said nothing, only continued to attack with an aggressive fury, a pyre of determination burning in his eyes.

  
Bellemere sprang backwards avoiding a low kick….

  
Only to crash into a large tree behind him.

  
"?!" Bellemere uttered a yelp of surprise as she slammed into the massive trunk and crashed to the ground with a dead thud and a sprinkle of dislodged leaves. Robert chuckled to himself as he walked over to his fallen girlfriend, his hands on his waist as he stood over her.

  
"Sometimes you can win without even touching your opponent. Your surroundings, and their weaknesses can defeat them for you. Something master taught me. Now, let's go. I'm hungry." Robert said with a smile as he picked up his girlfriend and dusted him off.

  
'Another defeat…why does he always beat me? I practice twice as much as he does! Why….' Bellemere pondered as they began walking back home. Robert was a natural; a technique that would take Bellemere an hour to learn took his brother about 10 minutes. Although the gap had been shortened considerably, Robert was still faster and stronger than his brother. But that little bit of extra power and speed made the difference between victory and defeat.

  
Robert and Bellemere continued to walk, the sounds of nature in perfect harmony around them.

  
"Hmmmm….you two are progressing well." Goutetsu said, his hands clasped behind his back. The master and students stood a couple feet from the main entrance to the house, Goutetsu inspecting them.

  
"Master, what is the next step in our training?" Robert asked.

  
"I was getting to that my student. Well, now is the time that you come to a crossroads in your path to the warrior's spirit. Now you must test your skills against others in competition. I have entered you both in a tournament."

  
"REALLY?! WOW! I finally get to compete! Thank you master!" Robert shouted as he sprang into the air, an expression of vibrant joy on his face.

  
"Master….are you sure that we're ready? I mean…I don't intend to second guess your judgment…but I can't even beat Robert…much less anyone else…." Bellemere stammered, her eyes staring at the ground.

  
"Bellemere, your boyfriend is…how should I put this…an extraordinary pupil. In fact I am confident that you both will do well in the competition. The two of you are stronger than anyone else in your age group I have ever seen. Be confident in your abilities my young student…I am."

  
Goutetsu smiled as he patted the top of Bellemere's head.

  
"Now I will show you some more throws…and from now until the tournament two weeks from now you will both train alone. Without your sparring partners and without me."

  
"Yes master." Both of them quickly responded in unison.

  
It was an hour after dawn, the sun grudgingly returning to its daily grind of bringing light to the planet.

  
Bellemere bathed in the sounds of the nature around her, his senses highly in tune with her surroundings as she sat in meditation.  
The waterfall raged above him chilling his entire body to the bone. Bellemere did not notice as he sat, his eyes closed as his very essence was drawn inward yet outward beyond the biting cold.

  
"Bellemere, do not concern yourself with your boyfriend's progress….jealously is a long, hard race and in the end it's only with yourself. Connect with your energies…become one with your ki and your emotions…always be in control and many of your present worries will no longer matter."

  
"How…will I become one with myself? Is it possible for me? I don't know…." Bellemere pondered to herself as birds began to sing above her…their voices rising and falling in harmony with each other.

  
Bellemere's eyes slowly opened, his gaze determined and focused.

  
"I will do it."

  
"HAH!"

  
Robert shouted as a sharp 'crack' sounded throughout the forest. The young student stood holding a brown staff, almost 6 feet in length…much larger than its wielder.

  
Robert took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. His bo (staff) held in one hand and tucked under his armpit.

  
The tournament was approaching and Robert anticipated it with his typical youthful zeal. Sweat cascaded down his frame, cooling him off….but the inferno of his fighting spirit could never be quenched so easily.

  
In front of Robert stood a naked tree trunk driven into the ground. The trunk was peppered with dents and the occasional chunk ripped from it. It was Robert's training dummy.

  
The smell of vegetation invaded Robert's nose as he stared out into the limitless supply of tall trees. The green canopy shielded Robert from the majority of the brutal sun and the air was always fresh and calming to the spirit…providing a perfect calm place to train. Robert's mind had run though the many different techniques his master had shown him, attempting to pick out the most useful attacks to guarantee a victory at the tournament. He had devised a plan of attack to capture the top spot that he thought was full proof.

  
His hands slowly moved to his weapon stance. His hands a foot and a half apart from each other, his bo stretched out in from of him.

  
"I shall crush my opponents."

  
Said Robert, his face hard as stone.

  
"I WILL BE VICTORIOUS!"

  
'WHAM!'

  
A loud crash echoed throughout the massive forest as Robert's bo slammed into the tree trunk forcefully, startling nearby birds into the air.

  
"So have you taught them any advanced techniques my husband?" Sayaka question as she sat down to the table, Goutetsu sitting across from her.

  
"In time my dear." Was Goutetsu's solitary answer as she sipped on tea his wife prepared. The long together couple sat in the main room of the house surrounded by paintings, books and houseplants…all things Goutetsu loved.

  
"Well, how well do they control their energy?"

  
"Very poorly. It's like they don't even have it…but I know they do. Basic moves and throws they get just fine…but manipulation of ki….they just can't do yet. They aren't at peace, so unlocking more of their potential is impossible. But…what can I expect? They are only children."

  
"Haven't they already proven that they are more than just mere children? You need to give them more of a chance. Perhaps they still grieve for their father." Sayaka casually put her elbows on the table and propped her head up with one arm, the other holding the teacup.

  
"You make good points my wife." Goutetsu paused as he sipped more of his tea, his facial expression calm but otherwise unreadable.

  
"We shall see what will become of my two talented pupils. The tournament shall most definitely be a turning point for them…although I am not sure in which direction. But I cannot predict the future…we will wait and see."

  
"That I agree with. Now, help me cook…since you have nothing better to do with your time. An apron is in the drawer…unless wearing one is beneath you." Sayaka said with a sly smile. Goutetsu grunted under his breath, but agreed and reached for the drawer as his wife attempted to stifle her laughter…failing miserably.  
"White belts?!" Robert exclaimed as he stared down at the item in question tied around his waist.

  
"Yes. What did you expect Robert?" Goutetsu said with an odd smile.

  
"We've been training all this time…for white belts?"

  
"It is not the training that determines your rank as far as I'm concerned. It is the student applying their training and showing mental discipline in combat. That determines true skill."

  
They nodded.

  
Goutetsu looked at his students, swelling with pride but keeping it inside. He had just given them their formal gi's, white with the style's insignia on the right breast and on the back.

  
They stood at the entrance to a large Japanese Judo ground near Kyoto, where the competition was to take place. The ornate gate was 20 feet in front of them. The narrow cobblestone path winding down from the first gate to the main arena, the main area shrouded with trees and walls.

  
Robert stared at the massive area in awe. It had to be at least 5 times the size of his master's…which a huge courtyard and an army of students. There had to be at least 400 people at the grounds.

  
"So many people…" Bellemere muttered.

  
"Keep in mind that not all of them are competing. This tournament is well known…many people like to watch it. Now go register. I will be watching your matches from over there."

  
"Yes master." They said in unison.

  
"And remember to focus….do not concentrate on beating your opponent. That will happen naturally once you connect with yourself."

  
The students nodded and entered the main hall, bursting with excitement.

Chapter VI: The Price

  
The sun sat on a bench of clouds, watching the tournament with the sky crowding his personal space. The grounds where the tournament was being held carried an air of precision and excellence, the dojo grounds being impossibly neat and the students of the school were in perfect order, their uniforms crisp and without holes. Bellemere and Robert walked inside, staring at the beautiful courtyard and the mass of students with silent awe. Their faces held no expression, but their eyes darted around taking everything in greedily.

  
At least 100 people were far in the distance, complying with the commands of a single master. He barked out a command, and the students promptly performed the move in a spilt-second's time. They were all in sync with each other, their movements precise and confident.

  
"Ah, there is where the qualifying rounds are held." Robert muttered as he pointed to the far left. There were 4 mats spaced about 30 feet apart from each other, and on each mat there was a fight taking place.

  
"They are all kids, like us." Bellemere announced, noticing the age range of everyone in uniform around him.

  
At each mat there was a thin crowd gathered around to watch the fights. Not everyone there was a student of the Judo, in fact most were not. Bellemere noticed the emblems of many various schools on the jacket or pant leg of the tournament combatants. There was a strong Chinese presence, a group of about 30 fighters hailed from the land to the west of Japan.

  
"Come on…let's go." Robert muttered as he approached a man. He stated both their names, and the man pointed to mat 2 and said something to Robert that Bellemere didn't catch. Robert thanked the man and tugged at Bellemere's sleeve.

  
"Alright, we're at mat 2."

  
They both approached the mat, spoke to the coordinator of the mat and he scribbled their names down on a thick notepad. Robert and Bellemere thanked him and sat down, awaiting their matches.

  
"Bellemere! I'm looking for a Bellemere!" A man called.

  
"Right here!" Was Bellemere's excited response as she sprang up from her sitting position and dashed towards the coordinator.

  
"Your match is up young lady." The organizer looked up from his clipboard while speaking very rarely.

  
"Alright." Bellemere re-tied his belt and walked forward.

  
Bellemere stepped upon the soft brown mat, her eyes closed and her face showing no strain. The mat was 17 X 17 feet, leaving just enough room to get a good fight going, but restricting too much movement. Bellemere was stretching her legs when her opponent stepped in, a young pudgy boy wearing a judo style gi, with a white belt…his fat bowling over from his shirt almost smothering the belt on his waist.

  
"I'm going tear you up girl." The boy says, his cheeks puffy, his lips curved into a devilish smile. His eyes sharp pinpricks.

  
"…." Bellemere said nothing as he opened his eyes and took stance, his movements soft and quick. The audience around him was caught in a dead hush, their collective eyes bouncing from mat to mat.

  
Bellemere's opponent snickered and took stance, his movements awkward. He was an entire foot taller than Bellemere, and twice as large. The big boy slapped his hands together as he gave a hearty laugh.

  
"Let's go."

  
Bellemere responded by drawing in a deep breath. Her mind was clear of thoughts, her body now set to operate on autopilot.

  
'DING!'

  
The bell sounded and the Judo fighter cocked his fist back for a punch. Bellemere stood there motionless.

  
A split second before the punch could connect, it stopped dead in the air.

  
Bellemere had caught it with her hands, her opponent's fist trapped with Bellemere's hand curled around the knuckles.

  
"Wha?! Why you little….."

  
Bellemere face lacked expression as she easily dodged a sidekick by taking a single step backward while bending over backward slightly. Bellemere's opponent then began to throw wild punches and kicks, Bellemere swatting them away at blazing speed.

  
"WHY CAN'T I HIT YOU!?" His angry opponent screamed at the top of his lungs.

  
Bellemere said nothing, standing perfectly straight and motionless, his face was blank and his eyes stared at his raging opponent.

  
"If this doesn't knock you to the ground…..ARGH!"

  
The fat boy reared back his fist, positioned above his head as he leaned forward. A powerful punch erupted aiming straight for Bellemere. Bellemere did not move.  
Suddenly he sprang forward. He kicked the fat boy's extended arm away, and buried his fist into the boy's unguarded stomach. Done in a second flat.  
Bellemere stood, her fist still extended in front of him, her opponent's fat drowning his limb to a little above the elbow.

  
Her opponent was in shock, her eyes wide as dinner plates and drool hanging on for dear life in the corner of his gaping mouth. His entire body began to quiver, and he slowly began to lean backward.

  
The lean turned to a fall, and the fat boy crashed to the ground with a dead thud and a cloud of dust.

  
The crowd stood shocked, their eyes staring at Bellemere in bewilderment.

  
Bellemere closed his eyes and eased out of stance, letting out a breath slowly.

  
Suddenly the deafening silence turned into an uproar of applause. Bellemere received a standing ovation as she bowed and walked off the mat.

  
"Good luck friend." Robert said to his opponent as they shook hands. Both of them stood on the mat, ready to begin.

  
Robert's opponent was a short thin boy by the name of Shu Xiang. He was dressed in a completely white Chinese uniform, his head partially bald, with the hair on the back of his head and half of the front still remaining and a single black braid cascading to his waist. Shu had a calm introverted look about himself, and Robert felt his ki. It was slowly rising.

  
'DING!'

  
At the sound of the bell Robert lashed out with a roundhouse that appeared to hit Shu Xiang. But, it was only an afterimage. Robert realized he felt no weight on his leg when he kicked once he had both feet back on the ground.

  
"Wha?" Robert's head darted around to find his opponent; then he felt a sharp pain in his back. A punch. Robert stumbled and turned around to find Shu behind him. Shu sprang forward with a quick backhand that danced across Robert's face; then followed up with an uppercut that knocked Robert to the ground. Shu backed away as Robert got back up.

  
'Man…he's fast…gotta be faster…'

  
"Alright Shu Xiang. MY TURN!" Robert shouted as he rushed forward, rearing back his fist. Shu took stance, concentrated on his approaching opponent.

  
Robert fired a punch but missed on purpose. Shu dodged to the right, only to catch Robert's roundhouse from that direction. Shu stumbled as Robert ran up to him and delivered a swift front kick to the ribs, then a quick right cross that drew blood from Shu's nose. Shu fell to one knee and stared at the ground as Robert backed away.

  
For about 5 minutes the match was at a standstill..until Robert noticed something.

  
"Are…you CRYING!?" Robert shouted in surprise. Shu looked up at him, tears cascading down his face and his bottom lip quivering.

  
"You didn't have to hit that hard! I quit! I want to go home!" Shu Xiang shouted as he ran off the mat in tears. Robert stood in utter shock and confusion.

  
"Was it something I said?"

  
"Hmm….both of them are progressing nicely." Goutetsu said to himself as he stared out into the courtyard of the large Judo palace. Sayaka was by his side, nodding.

  
"Yes, they've made it to the semifinals. And look…Robert just finished his match! He's going to the finals now…and Bellemere's up next…let's watch.

  
"And now…..last year's champion…..and the year before that….and the year before that….our Muay Thai fighting machine! The pulverizing prince….GO HIBIKI!" The announcer's voice boomed as the crowd went ecstatic.

  
Slowly a figure in a brown and yellow robe stepped up to the main tournament grounds. The hood covered his face as he stared down, the silk robe draping his form. He took the robe off and tossed it aside, bouncing in place and punching the air.

  
Go Hibiki was a sight. He was at least 5 feet, 11 inches tall and he was barely 13 years old. His body was lean and gangly, but every inch of him was muscle born in the fires of intense Muay Thai training. He wore brown shorts with yellow trim…'The Destroyer' written in Thai across the front in a semicircle. Go's armbands were brown and yellow in an intertwining pattern, and they rested above his elbow, but before his shoulder blade. His 'crown' was of similar design, a yellow tuft of leather hung from the back. Go Hibki's hair was brown and extremely short, no more than an inch off his head. His face was slender and his nose was like a crow's beak. His eyes were arrogance personified, his lips curled back in a snicker.

  
"Hey kid! So you're up against me eh? Pity…well it was a good run for you right? Too bad it ends here…hehe."

  
Go laughed as he stepped closer to Bellemere. Bellemere studied her opponent's face, showing a hint of anticipation.

  
"We shall see." Was Bellemere's only response as she took stance. The match battleground was far larger than the mat, 70 feet in width and length and covered by thick grey stone tiles. Soft green moss was dotted in lines in between tiles near the edge of the arena. Statures of dragons and lions sat on the four corners, ever watchful. The crowd was a hushed whisper.

  
They both took stance, Go bouncing lightly as he fists danced and feet rocked, and Bellemere standing perfectly still.

  
'DING!'

  
Go rushed forward with a jab from the right that caught Bellemere by surprise. As Bellemere staggered, she absorbed 4 more jabs from Go's right hand, and 3 from the left. Bellemere lashed out with a punch but Go easily dodged it, retaliating with a knee to Bellemere's ribs that floored the young student. All this happened in about 4 seconds.

  
Bellemere quickly returned to his feet, reaching his hand under his gi to feel his ribs. Nothing was physically wrong it seems…but the pain was enormous.

Bellemere felt as if he had been shot.

  
"Come on! Bring it karate girl!" Go taunted. Bellemere attacked with a front kick that Go swatted away. Bellemere faked a punch with her left hand, only to deliver a palm strike with her right that connected to the side of Go's head. Go staggered, but reacted so quickly with a high roundhouse Bellemere received it dead across the face. Bellemere stumbled and Go pounced on her like a wild animal. A blizzard of punches, kicks, knees, and elbows came from all sides as Bellemere put her arms up and attempted to guard….losing ground quickly.

  
'WHAM!' A powerful punch to Bellemere's stomach made the young boy wince, but her guard held firm. She continued to absorb the blows, but they still hurt like hell.

  
'There is no pain. There is no pain. There is no pain. There is no pain.' Bellemere kept repeating to herself as the barrage continued. In a minute, Go had landed 40 attacks to his opponent, and he was nowhere near tired.

  
"Quit covering up like a baby and fight!" Go shouted as he delivered a right cross to Bellemere's face that was so hard it knocked the young fighter to the ground and drew blood. The second Bellemere hit the ground she was back up again, focused as ever.

  
'There is no pain. There is no pain.' Bellemere chanted mentally as she wiped the bit of blood from the corner of his mouth.

  
"HAH!" Bellemere sprang into the air with a flying kick that connected perfectly, slicing through Go Hibiki. Go crashed to the ground and Bellemere landed on her feet, a pleasant smile on her face.

  
"TRY AGAIN!" Go shouted as he viciously kicked Bellemere in the stomach from the floor, got up and kneed him in the face, finally punching him in the chest. Go was known for his ability to recover quickly, and Bellemere was learning that lesson in the worst way.

  
'Damn his speed, damn his reflexes...' Bellemere thought as he smacked the hard ground. He quickly sprang back up again and took stance, the grey tiles felt like they were swaying in Bellemere's diziness.

  
'There is no pain. There is no pain.' Bellemere chanted over and over as blood from a cut on his forehead oozed down his face.

  
"He's murdering him! Master, this is slaughter." Robert cried to Goutetsu from the sidelines. Both were watching the fight, their fears growing.

  
"Bellemere still has a chance." Goutetsu said flatly, never taking his eyes off the fight.

  
Bellemere sprang forward, attempting a chop. Go sidestepped the attack and elbowed Bellemere in the back of the head as the young fighter passed him. Bellemere stumbled and Go lazily tripped her, making Bellemere smack the ground face-first kicking up a cloud of dust.

  
"Had enough?" Go taunted. Bellemere did not answer.

  
"I can't hear you! Answer me!" Go shouted as he kicked Bellemere in the ribs as Bellemere tried to get up. Bellemere attempted to pick himself off the ground again, only to meet the same fate.

  
Go finally let Bellemere get up, backing away while chuckling to himself. Bellemere took stance, blood seeping through his grit teeth. Dirt, blood and sweat caked on his face.

  
'There is no pain. There is no pain. There is no pain.' Bellemere's fists were clenched as she rushed in, only to meet a swift roundhouse that clipped the side of her head. Bellemere fell to the ground once again, but quickly got back up. Only to topple back down as if she were calling on strength that was not there.

  
Bellemere's entire body was shaking, and blood was all over him. It stained his gi, the blood like polka dots peppering his once pure white uniform. Bellemere picked herself off the ground, slower this time.

  
'There is no pain. There is no pain.'

  
Robert watched from the sidelines, biting his lower lips so hard blood oozed from it. His clenched fists were shaking at his sides. He could barely contain himself.  
There was one emotion filling Robert at the particular time, and the emotion was hitting a critical mass.  
Rage.

  
Chapter VII: Beyond The Edge

  
Bellemere winced as she took stance, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in her side. But then again, her whole body was enveloped in agony, smothered in torment.

  
"Hehehe…still standing eh? That'll change in mere moments." Go Hibiki said as she chuckled. Bellemere said nothing as she focused in on her opponent, her eyes fierce and determined.

  
"HAH!" Go rushed forward, running a top speed then rocketing forward with his knee in front of her. Bellemere absorbed the blow to the stomach but while that happened he attacked with a right cross that connected perfectly to Go's head, knocking him out of the air and to the ground. Bellemere limped away as Go began to stand back up.

  
A cut was above Go's right eye, the blood flowing in tiny rivers down his face.

  
"You drew blood from me…you're gonna pay…." Go said through grit teeth.

  
"ENOUGH!" Bellemere shouted as she charged forward, narrowly missing a roundhouse from Go, and swatting away a punch. Bellemere sprang 5 feet into the air and performed a spinning roundhouse, hitting Go so hard it knocked him off his feet and spun him twice before he smacked the ground.

  
Bellemere landed on her feet, breathing hard. She didn't know how many more attacks would work like that. She didn't know how long he could last against the endurance of Go Hibiki.

  
Suddenly an uppercut drove itself deep into Bellemere's stomach. Go had recovered. Bellemere clutched her stomach and vomited a cup of blood that crashed to the grey tiles in a red blot. She returned to her feet, only to meet an elbow smashing into her face. Bellemere stumbled, and Go grabbed her by her hair and drove Bellemere's head into his knee. Bellemere fell, but refused to give Go the satisfaction of a cry of pain.

  
"Hehehe…." Go snickered as he opened his closed hand, and a few strands of Bellemere's hair wafted to the ground. Bellemere watched the hair fall from the ground, her eyes wide as she tried to block out the immense pain.

  
"Argh…stay down Bellemere my dear….stay down…" Robert muttered from the sidelines, sweat beading on his brow.

  
Bellemere began to slowly get up, struggling.

  
'WHAM!'

  
An elbow smashed into the side of Bellemere's head, it knocked her off her feet and sent her skidding across the tournament grounds. Bellemere refused to say anything as she slowly got back up. Go Hibiki strode toward him confident in victory.

  
"Why aren't you screaming or something? HOLLER!" Go shouted as he viciously kicked Bellemere across the head, spiking her back to the ground. Bellemere still did not utter a word.

  
"SCREAM!" A knee drove itself into Bellemere's chest, and Bellemere toppled to the ground once again her mouth wide open, but making no sound.

  
"What're gonna do?" Go taunted, standing over the fallen Bellemere.

  
Bellemere suddenly leapt up and cocked her fist back, finally a punch exploded like a cannon...aiming straight for Go.

  
A hollow sound resulted, like a fly ball being caught in old catcher's mitt. Go Hibiki's wrapped hand stood enclosed around Bellemere's fist, a snicker forever painted on the Thai fighter's face.

  
"Was that it?"

  
'That was…everything I had left….' Bellemere thought, and Go could see it in his eyes.

  
"PATHETIC!" Go shouted as he drove his fist into Bellemere's stomach, an uppercut that pushed upward yet forward. Bellemere heard a muffled crack as suddenly a wave of pain swept over her. A broken rib. Bellemere's eyes were wide and her mouth gaping as she stared at Go, her eyes laughing at her, her teeth pulled back in a snarl.

  
"ARGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"  
Bellemere screamed at the top of his lungs, clutching his chest. A primitive howl of indescribable pain, and Robert could do nothing.

  
"No…..no…..Go Hibiki…..I'm gonna…." Robert said to himself, his fists getting tighter, and his entire body tense. Goutetsu said nothing. Sayaka put a hand on Robert's shoulder but it was ignored.

  
Bellemere fell to one knee, utterly exhausted. There was nothing more she could do….Go was too much for him.

  
"Give up?" Go Hibiki asked.

  
Bellemere nodded solemnly, staring at the ground.

  
"YOU LOSE!" With that, Go kicked Bellemere so hard the poor young female fighter was knocked 5 feet into the air and 10 feet away, finally landing…..  
Outside the ring.

  
"RING OUT! The winner is….GO HIBKI!"

  
Bellemere gasped for breath as she began to choke on her own blood. She laid on the grass, staining the green around her a deep magenta. The sunlight poured into his eyes, and she could not even move.

  
"Bellemere!"

  
A small distant voice called to him.

  
"Bellemere!"

  
Suddenly several figures were upon him, they were blurs that blocked the sunlight. Bellemere felt his body lift into the air as they picked him up and carried him off. Minutes later he realized that it was Sayaka and Goutetsu, with Robert right beside them.

  
"You're going to be ok brother..you'll be fine." Robert said slowly. Bellemere struggled to speak, but only choked on more bodily fluids.

  
"Robert, you have your match next…go."

  
"But master-"

  
"Go. Your girlfriend will be alright, we shall see to that."

  
Robert reluctantly turned around, to find Go Hibiki staring at him from several feet away.

  
"Are you ready to join your beloved Bellemere in a hospital bed?"

  
"….." Robert's rage began to boil as he stared at the ground, fists clenched so tightly they were bleeding.

  
"Silence…just like him. Well, I'll see you the ring. Unless you chicken out, which I would advise."

  
"ALLLLLRIGHT! The finals for the junior division are about to take place! First, let's introduce our finalists! "

  
The announcer's voice boomed as the crowd clapped. It had to be double the audience of the earlier matches; everyone was anticipating the finals match.

  
"In our first corner…..the returning champion…..GO HIBIKI!"

  
The crowd went berserk as Go set foot on the fighting grounds, acknowledging the crowd by punching and kicking the air as flashbulbs blinked to life around him.  
"And in the next corner…a newcomer to the tournament…Robert!' The crowd lazily clapped as Robert stepped up. A hard look was chiseled into his features and eyes. His brow caged his fierce pupils as he stared at Go Hibiki saying nothing.

  
They met in the middle of the stone floor, the thick gray tiles like an ocean surrounding them….keeping them away from the outside world.

  
"Why the hard look…...Robert is it? Are you mad because your brother got beaten? Hehe…he never stood a chance anyways. And you're next."

  
'DING!'

  
The bell quickly sounded and Go went right to work, rushing in with a spinning elbow. The attack exploded into Robert's chest, but Robert quickly reacted with a right hook that made Go Hibiki stagger backwards.

  
"Ow…." Go said a couple feet away from Robert as he felt his cheek. Robert ignored him and rushed in with a quick hop and a downward punch. Go swatted the attack away, but it was just a diversion. He never noticed the leg tucked back that suddenly fired a front kick, connecting perfectly with Go's chin, knocking his head back and his body following until the Thai fighter smacked the ground.

  
Go quickly bounced back up and pounced upon Robert, a wild barrage of punches, elbows and knees came out of nowhere and so fast the attacks were blurs.

Robert deflected them all, a stoic expression glued to his face.

  
Suddenly he caught an elbow to the throat; then in the moment of a broken guard the tide of the match changed. Go attacked faster, the attacks connecting now. Robert was slammed with 20 punches in 10 seconds. Go finished off with a roundhouse that would have snapped the neck of a body less durable than Robert's, making the boy's form spin a full 2 times before he crashed to the ground face first.

  
"HAH!" Go shouted as he slowly put his foot back into stance. A proud grin was plastered on his face as Robert slowly got up.

  
Go rushed forward, attempting to kick Robert while he was down but Robert caught wind of his intentions and sprang backwards narrowly missing the kick. Robert reared his fist back, caught himself and then plunged forward punching Go twice in the face, 3 times in the chest, and finishing with a axe kick that sounded like a thunderclap when it connected. In a blink of an eye Go was down again, drops of his blood making a trail on the tile from his face.

  
"ARGH!" Go shouted as he sprang back up with an uppercut that plunged deep into Robert's stomach, making the boy's eyes widen with pain. Robert kicked Go's fist away and sprang backwards, his breathing heavy.

  
'I must win….. 'Robert thought to himself.

  
Both young fighters stood 10 feet away from each other, bloody and giving as good as they got.

  
Bellemere's vision began to fail her; she was staring to black out. The world slowly became more distant and detached as the seconds passed. Sayaka held the girl in her arms as she and Goutetsu ran deeper into the forest, the sunlight pouring through the trees a hazy flicker.

  
"Here is a good spot." Goutetsu's voice sounded like it was enclosed in feet of cotton to Bellemere as she felt himself being laid on the grass.

  
"You'll be okay Bellemere…just relax." Sayaka knelt above him, positioning her hands just inches above Bellemere's body.

  
Suddenly, Bellemere began to feel very warm…a warmth that was quite foreign but non-threatening. It began to sweep over his entire body, and Bellemere felt very peaceful enveloped deep inside of it. It reminded him of his mother, a mother he had never met.

  
And suddenly, it was over just seconds after it began.

  
"Rise my young lady, you are rejuvenated." Goutetsu pronounced as Bellemere sat up.

  
"Wha…?" Bellemere starred down at herself in utter confusion. Her uniform was still in tatters, but her form was completely healed, there was not even a trace of cuts or bruises. Dirt and dried blood still clung to her, but otherwise it was like she had never even fought Go Hibiki.

  
"But how…..?" Bellemere mumbled in amazement.

  
"Well young Bellemere…not all uses for ki are strictly attacks used in battle. One can make ki almost whatever they want it to, with enough practice." Sayaka said with a bright smile as she stared down at Bellemere.

  
"You…healed me?"

  
"Why yes?! What, you thought Goutetsu did it? Bah, he doesn't have a bit of talent for healing!" Sayaka said, finishing with a hearty laugh.

  
"Sayaka please….not in front of my students….." Goutetsu mumbled to his wife under his breath as she laughed even harder. Bellemere looked out at the trees. The beams of light between tree trunks looked clear and real.

  
10 minutes had passed since the beginning of the match, and the fight was trapped in a deadlock. Neither side had gained an advantage, the momentum of the battle bounced back and forth at every exchange of blows. The crowd watched, fixed on the two fighters as they sprang backwards from each other after another furious meeting.

  
Go and Robert's heavy breathing were in tempo with each other, a rhythm of quick gasps and exhalations.

  
"It seems that we are evenly matched, Robert." Go Hibiki said, mischievously staring at Robert.

  
Robert nodded while swallowing.

  
"But that will change soon."

  
"Will it? I cannot defeat you, and you cannot defeat me. We are of equal strength levels Robert. Face it."

  
Go's voice carried a hint of ulterior motive as he tried to sound pleasant and re-assuring.

  
"Might as well give it up right?"

  
"No. I will beat you."

  
Go frowned at Robert's response and then rushed forward with his fist extended in front of him. Robert ducked low to avoid Go's punch, and Go leaned forward further…overextending himself.

  
Robert quickly grabbed his opponent and tossed him into the air, a perfectly timed 'over the shoulder' throw. Go was tossed 10 feet away, however he pivoted on the ball of his left foot and shot forward, catching Robert in the chin with a elbow…knocking him into the air as Robert had just done earlier to Go.

  
Robert did a quick back flip in mid air and landed on his feet, wiping away a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

  
"Robert…I may not be able to overpower you…but I can certainly outlast you." Go hissed, in between gulping down precious oxygen.

  
"I'm going to win Robert…you can't keep up with me forever."

  
"I will try." Robert retorted.

  
"You will try huh? Like how your girlfriend tried?! HAHA! Look at him, I bet he's in a coma as we speak."

  
Robert's eyes widened as the anger he thought he had locked away suddenly stepped forth.

  
"And that will happen to you soon enough. Or you could end this now, just give up and I win the championship once again…and you go back to your backwoods home with your parents the same way you came….as nothing. Oh wait I forgot…both of your parents are dead. I like to know a little background about who I beat up." Go said the last line flatly, ending with an evil grin that made Robert boil with rage.

  
"Oh..did I hit a soft spot?! Hehehe…." Go taunted.

  
"I might have, but I know you're going to do nothing about it."

  
Robert began to grit his teeth as he balled his hands once again into tight fists.

  
"Come on, let's finish this." Go stated flatly as he began to slowly step forward, his stride calm and in-control. As Go inched closer and closing to Robert, things began to change.

  
Suddenly, in front of Robert's eyes Go Hibiki transformed into General Tracey, the man that killed Robert's father and shattered he and his brother's lives. The area around him faded into the backyard of his house, where he once lived. Robert's house of childhood was just a quick dash away, with the window facing him shattered. The sky was black, an eerie black…too black to be natural night, the darkness swallowing up everything in the background.

  
"Hehehe…." The voice was Tracey's as the uniformed figure inched closer. Robert felt the grass of his home beneath his feet and he looked down. He looked down to stare at the bodies of his father and brother.

  
They lay a couple feet in front of him, on the ground in unnatural positions. They were covered in dried blood and partly decayed. Their bodies so thin the bones were clearly outlined and their skin withered and yellow. Their forms looked as if they had been sitting out for at least a week, their eyes still wide open.  
"Robert…" Tracey's voice whispered, but it sounded like it was from far away yet right at Robert's ear…certainly detached from the body. Robert stared at the world around him in horror and shock. Inside his head he screamed the vision could not be real. The thought drowned in a swell of emotion.

  
"You're next Robert….." The voice whispered.

  
"NO!" Robert screamed, as he began to back away.

  
"Robert….."

  
A weak, familiar voice from below beckoned to him. Robert looked down, to find his brother and father slowly rising. Their movements were rigid and awkward, as if controlled by invisible puppet strings. Their decayed faces did not move, but the voice rose from inside the bodies.

  
"Why couldn't you save me Robert….why couldn't you stop Tracey Robert…."

  
Robert's father whispered, his voice dry, hoarse and flat.

  
"I tried…I tried so hard Dad…but I couldn't…I just…"

  
"Why couldn't you keep me alive Robert….all your fault…all your fault…" Robert began to feel dizzy as he shut his eyes tight.

  
"No…" Robert's voice withered and Bellemere began to speak.

  
"You were supposed to protect me Robert….I'm your little fiancee….you were supposed to protect me….."

  
"Bellemere….I'm sorry…I couldn't do anything. I'm so sorry….." Tears began to well in Robert's eyes as he trailed off. The bodies of his father and brother slowly dragged their decaying legs towards him, their yellow eyes fixed upon Robert.

  
"Sorry won't help us now…sorry won't bring us back…" The voices said in unison.

  
"There's nothing more I can do….."

  
"Except DIE!" Robert looked up to find Tracey itching closer, his eyes locked on Robert as he lips were pulled back in a vicious snarl. He walked closer, as Robert's rage began to show itself.

  
"My beloved…my father…..no….No…..NO…..NO!"

  
Robert screamed at the top of his lungs as he rushed forward, the world around him shattering and falling away like a window after being smashed by a stray baseball.

  
Robert ran forward at top speed and buried his fist into his opponent's stomach. Go Hibiki's eyes widened as his upper torso lurched forward. Go felt something well up in his throat, so he coughed. The cough quickly turned to a sick vomit as a cup of blood shot from his open mouth, spilling over Robert's back. Robert did not react, only roundhouse kicked Go hard enough to make the Thai fighter spin a full 4 times before he smacked the ground, knocking out a couple teeth.

 

"…..*wheeze*…."

  
Robert stood hunched over, his eyes sunken and distant and his lips pulled back, exposing his teeth. Blood red steam licked off of his body and those that could feel another person's spirit could feel Robert's swell with energy. Go Hibiki stared at his opponent in horror.

  
"What….are you?!"

  
"YAHHHHHHHHHH!" Robert shot forward again, this time Go attempted a quick punch.

  
Robert easily caught the fighter's arm, and without a second's pause Robert twisted violently, dislocating Go Hibiki's shoulder.

  
Go howled in pain as he tried to make distance between him and the enraged Robert, but Robert was much too fast. A trail of red vapor trailed Robert's form as Robert chased. Everytime Go sprang away, Robert shot forward landing at least 10 blows before Go attempted to scramble away again.

  
"HAH!" Go erupted with a fierce knee aimed to Robert's chest, but Robert punched downward, shattering Go's left kneecap.

  
The scream that followed made nearby street dogs howl, so loud the crowd covered their eyes to avoid the sound.

  
Go toppled to the ground, holding his leg in both arms, crying.

  
"Please…stop….please…" Go pleaded, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

  
Robert picked Go up with both hands by his neck, and kneed him so hard two ribs in the Thai fighter's chest snapped like twigs. The sound that came from this made weak-stomached spectators suddenly vomit.Robert silently stepped back a couple feet as Go attempted to get up, failing miserably.

Robert's breathing was deep, long and smoldering.The crowd watched as the match was at a standstill, neither fighter moving. Robert stood upright, red steam rushing around him as he cupped his hands behind him.

"DIE!"Suddenly, a ki blast twice the size of the user shot from Robert's hands, a pulsing ball of red destructive energy. It slowly shot towards a defenseless Go, who could only stare in horror.

A bright red flash lit up the arena and the surrounding area, so bright the crowd had to shield their eyes. A loud crash soon followed, and when the smoke cleared: Go Hibiki was 50 feet away, his body plowed through the stone walls of the battleground, dust and stone hovered in the air around his crumpled form.

He was covered in blood, and lay on the ground in a very unnatural position. He looked as if he had been dragged to the spot where he rested and he did not move.  
The crowd gasped in horror as Robert stood there, seemingly not paying attention. Gradually the red steam vanished, and Robert fell to one knee exhausted.

"What happened?" Robert muttered as he looked around. Then he saw. "Oh no…my god…"Goutetsu suddenly shoved through the crowd and stared at the scene in astonishment.

"Satsui No Hado…." His voice trailed off as he stared at the broken body of Go Hibiki, who would be in a hospital bed for the next 3 months, and would not fight again for years.


	2. Chapter 2 Seeds of Discontent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's part 2 of the prequel story Goutetsu confronts Hiro a man from the Azuma Ninja Clan who wants revenge against the old master for the death of his father that Goutetsu fight to the death 20 years ago till that day he have come for revenge. Meanwhile Robert and Bellemere meets Gen abd have a friendly match with the Chinese Warrior.

Chapter VIII: The Past

"Master…I don't know…what came over me…."

Was all Robert could utter as the group returned home. The sun was minutes from fully disappearing from the sky, the rogue stars on the fringes of the sun's kingdom already beginning to show themselves. The moon was still draped in silvery clouds, bashful like a little child. Robert and Bellemere walked behind their master as Goutetsu walked forward, away from home and towards the woods.

"Robert, what you underwent is simple…yet very complex. It is something embedded within living creatures…an advanced sort of survival instinct. However, among people in connection with their ki's…this instinct manifests itself quite differently from the average person. The elders of this art long ago gave it the title Satsui No Hado. The killing intent."

Robert nodded, motioning for more as they slowly trekked through the tangle of dense trees, the moon slowly emerging into view.

"Satsui No Hado….is not a 'power-upgrade' or anything like that, do not treat it as such. It is a mode of thinking, a perspective in which the person under the influence of it does anything but think clearly. Think of it like this…have you ever seen a cornered wild animal? Like a tiger surrounded by hunters. The tiger… eventually if provoked enough...will lash out at anything and everything in it's path..until it thinks that it is safe. The tiger will cease to calculate, only attack.

It only has one method and mode….to destroy. The tiger is able to do things it never could before, because it subconsciously shatters through any and all inhibitions. It loses the ability to care about anything else but what it is currently focused on. With the human, it is a similar situation but a more pronounced difference. A man has more inhibitors. A human in this mode loses the ability to care for or understand others, only himself. A human in this mode will lose any sensation but anger and hatred…and bloodlust. Empathy for their opponent drowns in a sea of killing intent."

Goutetsu cleared his throat as the wind played with his beard, and continued.

"Satsui No Hado does not make one stronger, it only brings forward the madness inside of one. This madness causes the person under the influence to lose any notion of apathy. They don't feel pain, they don't see the pain they are causing. They are beyond a point of caring for anything else…but destroying an obstacle in front of them. Satsui No Hado is a mode of thinking and fighting that is truly formidable.

It corrupts the weak spirit, and if it has it's grip on you long enough…. you are no longer a human being. You are a demon that seeks out things to destroy. You are not in touch with human emotions such as love or happiness…all you know is anger. Satsui No Hado as a philosophy of fighting and living is a condition that is frowned upon by our art, because it is the direct opposite of everything the art promotes…such as a clear mind and a connection with one's spirit."  
Robert and Bellemere nodded.

"HOWEVER, if one has the ability to master oneself to such a degree…that they can call upon this mode as a techinique…to push themselves to places they are unable to go…it is encouraged. Granted they have mastery over themselves, and can rein in their destructive urges when need be." Robert shot his head up to face Goutetsu with a confused look.

"Master…are you serious? They allow that?!"

"Yes Robert, because when mastered, it is nothing but a technique. To one that has truly mastered themselves and their art things like rage and sorrow are nothing more than tools to use. They are nothing more than weapons to wield and call upon against the opposition."  
"No….I felt what I had become…when I got so mad….that isn't right…that is not something someone should use against anyone!" Robert shouted, piercing through the serene silence of the sleeping forest.

"I wanted….to kill him…." His voice suddenly dropped to a whisper as he stared at the ground. Bellemere looked at her boyfriend, his face carrying a hint of intrigue.

"Robert, what you felt was raw, untrained Satsui No Hado. If your talent is merely focused and refined-"

"Talent? TALENT?! What I did…was not talent…it wasn't….it was savagery…..no…that can't be the way…  
"  
"Robert….if you can find another way for yourself. You are perfectly welcome to." Goutetsu said with a slight smile. Robert could only think of the bloodied face of Go Hibiki as he stared at the ground.

"I will. Satsui No Hado is nothing but pure madness; there is a way around and through it. How can someone call themselves a true martial artist…if they willingly submit themselves to madness?! I thought the true martial artist was clear-headed and focused at all times….."

"Hmmm….Robert. You are already challenging ancient philosophies. I see a great potential in you."

"What about me master?!" A voice cut the conversation, it was Bellemere's, and she sounded desperate and indignant.

Bellemere had been listening the whole time, and the whole time she could only think about his crushing defeat at the hands of Go Hibiki, and how is Robert easily defeated the same person that Bellemere labeled as unbeatable.

"Bellemere…you are fine. You are progressing nicely…exceptionally well considering your age."

"But…I'm not as strong as Robert. You don't have to say it." Bellemere spat the words out; they left a bitter taste in her mouth. Bellemere stared into the far trees as the wind moved her ponytail like the flag on a sailing ship.

"Bellemere!" Goutetsu voice suddenly became stern and sharp.

"What did I tell you about continuously comparing yourself to Robert? You two are different people, and you progress in different ways. Constant trying to beat out your boyfriend will get you nowhere. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"I am sorry master…but I cannot help it. With Go Hibiki…I could barely stay alive against him, but Robert handled him with ease….."

"Ease?! I handled him with ease!? Listen you-" Robert had his finger pointed and was ready to argue when Goutetsu interrupted them both.

"That doesn't matter. One thing I noticed about your fight Bellemere, you never showed the slightest sign of wanting to quit. Your drive was strong. You continued when so many would have given up. That will take you farther than you can imagine."

"WHEN?!"

"Have patience." Goutetsu calmly said, his voice softly thundered throughout the forest. Bellemere grunted to herself as she lightly punched a nearby tree in frustration, and she fell silent in the darkness.

"Master, brother. I'm going back home, I need some rest." Bellemere muttered as he turned around and trotted back to the light in a distant window.  
"Fine by me Bellemere." Goutetsu muttered.

"Come, Robert….walk with me." Goutetsu said with a smile, surprising the young student. The two strayed from the beaten path into the dense forest.

"Ask me any question you want…but you can only have one to ask this time. You must choose wisely." Goutetsu instructed as they walked through the forest, the twigs crunching underneath them and an owl hooting softly above them.

"Your master….what was he like? How did he die? How did he live?"

"My master….my master was a great man. He hailed from China…and his master's master created the core structure of our present art, Ansatsu-ken…only then it was called something different. Anyways, my master was an exiled Shaolin monk…who left the temple to travel the world. This is where he got the ideal of the "evolving" style of Ansatsu-ken, because of his constant traveling. He realized that no art could truly be perfect unless it evolved over the generations of masters and students, with parts added and unnecessary parts subtracted from it. His travels, and what he learned from them revolutionized the style, and brought him many enemies….his enemies were mostly elders who opposed such drastic changes."

"Really…so what happened to him? Was he killed by these elders?"

"HAHA! Heaven's no! He died of Tuberculosis as an old man that lived a full life. Not to say he didn't have his share of fights." Goutetsu chuckled as he reminisced.  
"Can I have one more question?" Robert meekly asked.

"Bah…sure."

"How come you don't take more students? I mean…wouldn't you want the art to reach as many people as possible?"

"Well, the 'rule of two' is an ancient law, recognized since the creation of the style. The reason why it is only two is, because the elders knew that two students could learn from each other and grow together. Any more would congest, and therefore thin out the total strength of the style itself, and any less would do the same, for the student would not have enough experience actually fighting. Anyone can sit and practice movements all day…actually engaging in combat is something different. Am I boring you Robert? I see that I am not."

Robert was soaked with the words from his teacher, absorbing it like a sponge.

"Now, go to bed. It's late."

"But you don't even have a watch on-"

"Who needs a watch? Look at how high the moon hangs in the sky."

And with that, Robert trotted off to bed as Goutetsu stayed, looking up at the night, an endless black silk robe dotted with sparkling jewels.

The rain kept on coming, it hadn't relented the entire day…the sky a pale sick gray and the sun bedridden in the heavens.

There was no wind, the rain fell from the sky as clear bullets, hitting the Earth and immediately bursting into fragments. After the morning the Earth began to choke on the water…spitting it back but only receiving more.

It had been 2 days after the tournament, and after one day of rest Bellemere was back to the routine. She sat cross-legged at the summit of a plateau, deep in meditation.

The rain poured down, so Bellemere had left her usual meditation spot under the waterfall, because there was water everywhere. Now, she sat at the top overlooking the luscious forest that glistened with rainwater on the treetops.

A distant song of a bird played with his eardrums as Bellemere sat, the rainwater slicking off her. The ground was cold, but Bellemere was far away from the physical world.

"Hey, mind if I join you?"

Suddenly a voice echoed in Bellemere's mind, and Bellemere opened her eyes to find her fiancee staring her in the face, an eager smile on Robert's visage, her eyes bright and cheerful.

"….you never meditate." Was Bellemere's response, her voice emotionless and almost annoyed.

"Yeah, but now's as good a time as any to start!" Robert said, once again smiling. Bellemere looked at him, one eyebrow raised and the other lowered. Then after a few seconds he nodded, and Robert sat next to him.

The rain continued as the two brothers meditated, the minutes drifting into hours.

Chapter IX: The Assassin

The days ran at top speed until they found themselves weeks. The weeks continued running, looking down to find that they had become months. Finally the months jogged along, not noticing as they slowly turned to years. It is now a full 4 years after the brothers Robert and Bellemere began to train under Master Goutetsu as a moment in time candidly reveals itself to us…..

The forest echoed with the sweet discourse of nature, the sunlight being squeezed in between the treetops, attempting to do his job in spite of the jealous canopy.  
Two lone figures stood on a thick and large log placed horizontally over a rushing stream. One was Robert, now 15 years old…his body much taller, almost 5 feet and 10 inches…his muscles in proportion to his 165-pound physique. His hair was still a black pile of untamed jungle, only shortened to about 2 inches off his head. His face was fuller now; he carried a strong square jaw with beginnings of facial hair, inviting eyes and a warm smile that always held hidden intentions. He wore a tan gi with the sleeves ripped off…the tan shoulders of the uniform jagged and loose, his worn and tattered black belt hanging from his waist like a beggar's badge of honor.

Bellemere stood 10 feet opposite to him. Bellemere had developed also, her form lean and almost gangly…but the body tempered in the flames of training steered it from being so. She was 5 feet and 5 inches tall, her black gi coiled around him, surprisingly clean. Her brown belt was tightly tied to her waist, the ends lined up even with each other as they hung in front of her and the knot perfect. Bellemere's straight red hair was down to her armpits and tied behind him with a thin strand of black string. Bellemere's uniform was neat, the sleeves carefully rolled a couple inches above the elbow to free her arms, and a white undershirt drenched with sweat covered her otherwise bare chest.

The Couple were focused on each other as they stood in stance, neither moving at all as a bird danced in the sky above them, trying to say hello to the sun.  
Suddenly Robert widened his eyes a tiny bit, and Bellemere knew what was coming. Robert rocketed forward, then sprung into the air with a flying kick. Bellemere dodged the attack and Robert blew past her. Robert quickly turned and pivoted on the ball of his foot, shooting back in the direction he came without a moment's hesitation. Robert's fist fired a quick jab, Bellemere leaning her upper body slightly backward to avoid it and retaliating with a left hook which Robert swatted away. Bellemere tried a high front kick; Robert blocked the attack and tried a side kick himself, which Bellemere easily deflected.

Bellemere cocked her right arm back, only to launch a left hook into Robert's jaw. Robert laughed as he punched Bellemere in the stomach then her him with a rising elbow to the chin that knocked Bellemere's head back. Bellemere stumbled and Robert pounced upon him. Robert jumped and attempted a downward punch but Bellemere caught his fist and kicked him away with a clean roundhouse. They sprang away from each other. Breathing heavily….the log beneath them holding firm.

A smile appeared on Robert's face as a drop of sweat tumbled down the bridge of his nose.

"Let's stop playing around."

Bellemere nodded.

"YAAAAAAAH!" Bellemere hollered as he ran forward at top speed, his eyes set on his brother. Robert stood, ready.

A hammer fist crashed into the top of Robert's head, followed by a elbow to the chest, and finishing with a right cross that when connecting with Robert's cheek made a dull crack. Robert quickly shook his head and blinked, then back-fisted Bellemere across the face, running up to his girlfriend as she staggered and delivering a knee to Bellemere's unguarded head. Only Bellemere recovered fast enough to counter with a knee of her own at the exact moment before impact, their two knees colliding with each other, eager smiles plastered on both their faces. Their fists crashed into each other's…their knuckles fitting into the valleys of their brother's fists.  
The forest watched as the two lovers strained, locked in the same position trying to force the other down but neither willing to relent. They were both drenched in sweat as the seconds turned to minutes.

"Give up….." Robert whispered.

"You first." Bellemere replied.

Veins began to show themselves in Robert and Bellemere's outstretched arms, as their sweat formed a tiny lake on a dented part of the log.

Suddenly, Bellemere swept her leg under Robert's and sharply retreated it, tripping her boyfriend. As Robert lost balance Bellemere grabbed him by his arm and tossed in into the air in a classic over-the-shoulder Judo style throw. Robert sailed into the air away from the log; the only thing awaiting him was the clear water of defeat. Robert quickly did a back flip.

"HAH!" Robert shouted as he shot his cupped hands forward, a burst of white ki blasting from seemingly out of nowhere, rocketing toward Bellemere at lightning speed. Bellemere positioned her arms in front of him, ready to guard against the ki wave.

Only it stopped short, dissipating into oblivion just inches before touching Bellemere. Bellemere starred in confusion.

"Aw damnitt! Not again-" Where Robert's last words before he crashed into the water, and was carried a little downstream.

"I see you have yet to fully master the gou-hadoken…Robert dear." Bellemere muttered as she smiled to himself, standing alone on the log claiming victory.

"Ossssssssssuuuuuuuuu…."

A slow and steady rhythm pulsed through Bellemere's veins as she slowly released a breath of long drawn in air. Her hands were outstretched in front of him open-palm, her feet facing inward staring at each other from a foot and a half distance. Her back was straight, her knees slightly bent. A stance for channeling ki. Bellemere's eyes were closed, as she looked inward.

The indoor dojo was made of old wood, with a graveyard of old candles burning brightly….giving the room an eerie dim glow. In front of Bellemere resting on stacks of books was an open scroll. The paper was an old yellow color, the letters on the paper ancient and meticulously written to be preserved long after the author had left the mortal world.

Suddenly Bellemere stirred, her legs spread apart and his knees bent further. One fist was tucked at his waist, the other an open palm facing forward. Then the palm strike swiftly glided into a forward elbow as the back foot moved in front. Then the forward elbow retracted to stance as Bellemere hoped in the air with a jumping front kick, the moment he touched the ground he performed a straight punch, her toes facing forward, one foot a couple inches in front of the other and a foot in length between.

Bellemere then broke from her stance to lean over and study more of the ancient scroll. She then nodded and continued her kata, a series of preset movements for a particular situation of engaging an enemy. The movements flowed into each other, but were sharp and precise in between attacks as Bellemere continued, hier face stern.

After pleading with Goutetsu, Bellemere was finally given permission to venture into her master's library of ancient teachings. The room Bellemere was currently in was cluttered with piles of books, scrolls, and various odds and ends from previous practitioners of the style…such as portraits, pieces of uniforms and weapons. Bellemere organized all this and kept the room as her private chamber of study. Even though Bellemere had spent a lot of his time in the dark room….a thick layer of dust covered most of the wooden sanctuary.

"Ossssssuuuuuuuuu…" Bellemere breathed out as he continued her kata in silence.

"Focus Robert." Stated Goutetsu sharply as he stared into his student's eyes, his cold piecing gaze returning.

"I'll try…."

"Don't try. Do it. Your gou-hadoken does not extend as far as you want it to because you don't push it as far as it needs to go. Once you project ki from your body…the attack is not completed when the energy leaves your hands. You must direct it; control it as it moves through the air. Because the hadou is still a part of you, and if you do not treat it as such it will dissolve into the air like vapor." Goutetsu spoke, as the master and students stood at the edge of a cliff face, the birds flying in the sky above them.

"Now…try again." He said softly and slowly, his hands folded behind him as he watched his student close his eyes. Goutetsu stood in a brown Chinese uniform…an old one that fit his body like an old discarded skin. The brown had faded to an almost deep green, and the white cuffs dyed to an off-white color. His long straight hair that reached far beyond his shoulder blades had now been transformed into a solitary long thick braid….strands of gray criss-crossing the pattern.  
Robert nodded and returned to stance. One foot behind him, the leg straight and at an angle. The other leg bent and facing forward…the feet a couple feet from each other. His hands cupped at his sides…his gaze focused forward.

"Now….build you ki….Don't rush it. Let's use a different term. Instead of thinking of it as building you ki….let the ki already inside of you flow into your hands…and then out into your palm. Focus your energies on one spot, the space in between your cupped hands. Let it flow inside of your body…only direct it." Goutetsu said as the words slowly pouring out of his mouth, from a deep pool of experience.

Robert complied, closing his eyes and getting in touch with his inner energies. He imagined his ki flowing through his body in waves, slow, calm and powerful. He then directed the waves slowly into central spots, his arms. He then directed them to his hands.

"Yes….now…expel your ki from your body….out through your fingertips. Slowly….." Goutetsu coached.

Robert grimaced with closed eyes as he focused his ki through his hands. He pushed, finally he felt some of it leave, and a small white ball appeared in the space between his cupped hands.

"Good! Now…build…."

Robert concentrated as he added more power to the white ball, the size growing now to that of a baseball. Sweat beaded on his forehead and rolled down the sides of his face.

"Okay…that should be enough. Don't want it to be too powerful. Now let the ki go…slowly….and make sure to direct it."

Robert lifted his arms in front of him, and very slowly the ki ball began to move away….still in a perfect white glowing sphere.

Robert opened his eyes and watched the ball as it floated through the air…still focused on directing it.

"Yes…you are doing it my student." Goutetsu nodded. Robert said nothing, even the smallest diversion would break his concentration and ruin everything.

" U!"

Robert's ki ball shattered like broken glass as a gruff voice hollered from deep inside the forest, startling the birds…they took to the rosy sky in a hurry.

"Hm!" Goutetsu said to himself as he stared out in the direction of the voice.

"Who are you!? Your voice seems familiar."

"Yes…..my voice might seem so. Many say I inherited the voice of my father…the father you killed." The voice from the shadows said….a seething anger poorly hidden. The sound of disturbed leaves and crunching branches grew closer.

"You have a quarrel with me? Then come, let us talk like men." Goutetsu said as he straightened himself and buttoned up his shirt.

Instantly a shadow darted from the darkness of the forest, landing 10 feet away from Goutetsu. The figure was wearing a tattered black cloak…exposing nothing but his head which was covered by a black mask…only exposing hard piecing eyes focused on the master of Ansatsu-ken.

"You…" The voice hissed.

"Yes. I am Goutetsu, but no doubt you know that already. Reveal yourself to me." Goutetsu ordered, in a way that did not come off as confrontational.

The cloak fell to the brown earth, revealing a young strong man underneath. He was about 5' 8"…a medium build…and dressed in the garb of what many call a 'ninja'. On his left breast was an insignia…. a kanji in red. His mask was tossed aside, revealing long, black, rough hair and full sideburns. An X shaped scar was on the man's right cheek. He had a slender face and a pointed jaw. The eyes of the stranger revealed nothing but anger as he stared at Goutetsu.

"I am called Hiro…. son of Heishiro…. of the Azuma Ninja clan. You fought my father to the death 20 years ago to the day…and I have come for my revenge." The man said, his voice stern.

"Boy, your father and I agreed that there would be no revenge."

"I have taken it upon myself. Do you accept my challenge Master Goutetsu?!" The voice of Hiro jumped in pitch toward the end of his exclamation.

"Fine…I can see that your mind's already made up. Such fools the young are." Goutetsu muttered.

"Master…. you killed someone?" Robert asked meekly.

"I shall explain it to you later my pupil…now Hiro…. where do you wish to fight? Here is not the best terrain. Come, I shall lead you to better surroundings." Goutetsu muttered calmly as he began to walk forward. Hiro followed him with his eyes, and after a few seconds he followed with his body.

The master and the assassin stood at the edge of the forest, where Goutetsu's neat and ancient stone compound met the wilderness of the woods. They faced each other 15 feet apart…. their gazes hard and focused.

Robert and Bellemere stood at the sidelines watching the impending battle, their bodies tense.

"Robert…you said this stranger has accused master of murder?"

"Yes…the man is named Hiro…and he says master Goutetsu killed his father."

"That can't be true…."

Goutetsu slowly slipped into stance, his hands open with his fingers slightly bent, the palms facing into each other as one foot faced his opponent, while the foot in back completed a 90o angle. The foot was facing away from the action, towards the spectators on the side.

"Young Hiro…. doing this will not bring honor to your father or your clan. This is silly." Goutetsu attempted one last chance to avert fighting.

"It is not silly. This is the only way…. now come Goutetsu…let us get to our bloody business."

The wind played with Goutetsu's braid, the black peppered with gray flapping and bouncing in the breeze…in stark contrast to the wearer's demeanor. He stared at Hiro, his eyes burning into the young man's soul…searching for a reason to this madness.

Wordlessly Hiro attacked. The Ninja rocketed forward and leapt off the ground attempting a drop kick. Goutetsu hopped out of the way and leaned backward narrowly dodging a side kick from Hiro that shot out the second he touched the ground. Goutetsu then lashed out with a front kick that connected to Hiro's ribs. Goutetsu easily caught Hiro's responding punch in his open palm, and backfisted the young man to the ground. Hiro fell to one knee, and promptly attacked with a sweep, the Ninja's foot sliding across the stone. Goutetsu lifted a single foot off the ground while in stance and the sweep missed, and Goutetsu reacted without a moment's notice, hitting Hiro with a jab on the cheek. A 'jab' so powerful the young man stumbled 5 steps and almost fell over. Goutetsu shifted out of stance, his feet together and his hands clasped behind him waiting for his opponent to signal he was ready.

Hiro rubbed his cheek blinking, but returned to stance. Goutetsu did so also. Seconds later Hiro ducked low and lashed out with a blur of a fist. Goutetsu quickly spread his legs apart and swatted the attack away with his left hand, while his right hand was cocked behind him. A split-second later the punch exploded into Hiro's chest, knocking the fighter off the ground and far away; his body slamming into a tree that couldn't be seen.

Hiro bounced up quickly then toppled to his knees a second later, his back facing Goutetsu as he leaned against the tree trunk and spat blood, breathing heavily. Goutetsu knew where he was even though he could not see him through the dense bushes and trees.

Once Hiro had composed himself, he sprang from the dark. He landed 5 feet from his opponent and faced Goutetsu; the burning rage in his eyes had intensified. His teeth were grinding against each other, his nostrils flared and his fists clenched. The wind blew in his face, the long black hair of Hiro's fought the wind…and in the end the wind gave up and moved on. Robert felt Hiro's ki rise slowly as his rage grew. Goutetsu calmly jumped back 10 feet, never taking his eyes off the young man.  
"I will not be defeated by you…I swear it…ON MY FATHER'S GRAVE!"

Hiro screamed as he ran forward at top speed, Goutetsu gazed at him, his hands still clasped behind him.  
Hiro struck with a punch, putting all his power into it…leaning forward to hit Goutetsu. Only an afterimage was all Hiro struck. Goutetsu was actually behind Hiro…running away towards the forest.

"Don't run away from me!" Hiro screamed as he stood watching. A thick tree was standing in Goutetsu's path as Goutetsu kept running at top speed, a confident smile on his face.

"What's he doing?" Questioned Bellemere to herself as Robert stared in wonder.

Suddenly, Goutetsu hit the tree; only he began to scale up the tree…as if the trunk were normal ground. His pace never slowed, and it seemed gravity wasn't paying attention to him as he ran up the trunk of the great tree astounding all.

Once he was about 25 feet into the air Goutetsu bounded off the tree and into the air..his arms spread as if he were an eagle in flight, his legs together and straight. Suddenly he performed two quick backflips, and with a wave of his hand a red ki ball the size of a small car shot downward toward his opponent.

As the blast cascaded downwards, a shimmering ball of red destruction, the brothers could only stare in wonder.

"Such power….." Robert mumbled.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Bellemere screamed as she grabbed Robert by the collar of his gi and they both disappeared behind cover of grey wall.

"Heh." Said Hiro as he closed his eyes, the ball's light reflecting on his face.

A brilliant flash of dark light resulted, the forest having to shield its eyes. A pool of red overcame the green of the trees, startling the creatures that lived there. Once the light faded, there was a crater 10 feet in width, 3 feet in depth where Hiro once stood.

"What?" Robert started. "Where are they?"

"The sky." Replied Bellemere.

Hiro was in the air, his body in that of a flying kick form….with Goutetsu in front of him, his legs and arms outstretched as the teacher's body curled around Hiro's extended leg.

Seconds later Goutetsu crashed to the ground with a dead thud as Hiro landed with eyes shining of confidence.

"I have studied you Goutetsu…I know your style…your patterns. I had beaten you even before we began to fight." Hiro said.

"We shall see." Goutetsu was up quickly, wiping a bit of blood from his cheek.

"Now it is the final act. Prepare yourself." Hiro said as he charged forward. Goutetsu stood firm.

"No…he's going to kill our master. We have to help…we have to do something." Robert said as he tightened the belt on his gi preparing for battle.

"No…master has this fight won. Watch."

"YAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Hiro screamed as he pulled back his fist, seconds before he would collide with Goutetsu.

"Fool." Was the master's only reply.

Suddenly Goutetsu reacted. He moved as fast as lightning, almost appeared to run straight through Hiro, only to cause no damage as if he were a ghost.

A split second after the attack Goutetsu stood 15 feet away from his opponent, with his back turned to Hiro. A solitary outstretched fist was Goutetsu's attack, his body perfectly straight. He didn't bother to turn around or look at what happened, he already knew what was coming.

"Ugh….ack…" Hiro gargled incoherent words as a trickle of blood poured from his gaping mouth. Then another red downward line appeared from the other corner, creating a small puddle on the earth as Hiro stood frozen. His eyes were wide with disbelief, his hands shaking. Suddenly he collapsed, toppling to the ground like an old rag doll. Hiro attempted to return to his feet, coughing a bit of blood….but fell again…..and was still.

Robert and Bellemere's eyes were wide, their mouths gasping for words but none would come. Goutetsu slowly turned around, perfectly calm.

"You…killed him?" Bellemere asked meekly.

"Kill him? No. He will be fine." Goutetsu said as he walked over to his students.

"You see that man lying on the ground? He let an unfortunate…accident consume him. You see his father and I when we were young once fought a terrible battle. It was agreed as a final confrontation between us….and we agreed to no courses of revenge in case something happened to either of us. Hiro's father Heishiro died from his wounds from the fight…and Hiro blamed me for it."

Robert and Bellemere nodded.

"He says he is fighting me for revenge…but the truth is not easily hidden. He is fighting me to prove to his clan members that he is stronger than his father. He is trying to show someone that he can succeed where his father failed under the guise of seeking retribution for the 'murder' of his predecessor. This isn't about revenge…it is about his own selfish ambition. And he had the nerve to use Heishiro's memory…."

Goutetsu spat the last sentence out, visibly disgusted. Bellemere and Robert nodded, and understood.

"Robert…take Hiro home for Sayaka to heal…Bellemere will assist you." Goutetsu said, his gaze distant as he stared out into the sky.

"But master….he tried to kill you!" Robert shouted.

"I know. But I do believe he has learned his lesson. And what kind of host would I be if I left Hiro to rot here? No, I will give him something to eat and a healing hand. If need be, a bed to sleep in. Now come my students…the day is not yet finished. You have more training to do."

Goutetsu said with a laugh as he began to walk forward with his students trotting behind him and the unconscious form of Hiro Azuma slumped over Robert's shoulder. Bellemere held the legs above his head.

Chapter X: Seeds of Discontent

"ACK!" Robert yelped a startled cry as he was flung into the flat face of a large stone boulder, bouncing off vertical stone wall with a wet slap. Robert crashed to the ground and immediately sprang to his feet, a fierce and busy look in his eyes. He didn't bother to wipe a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth on his fist, not daring to relax his hands and drop his guard.

'thwack!'

A loud raw thud resonated throughout the forest, and a split-second later Bellemere was sailing through the air, smacking the brown earth hard in front of the worried Robert.

Bellemere lifted her head toward her boyfriend, her face smeared with dirt and brown leaves. She had landed face-first after all and it was autumn. The ground was an ocean of browns, yellows, and oranges. The leaves growing tired of the monotony of hanging off branches. Now they had decided to fall and meet their respective fates. The trees swayed with the slight wind to a rhythm only they could hear. The skies were a dismal and stoic gray. The clouds were bored and the sun seemed half-asleep.

Bellemere snapped back up and faced the enemy alongside Robert, both in a crisp fighting stance….their uniforms peppered with grass stains and dirt.  
"We need a better plan." Bellemere said without looking at Robert...keeping her eyes on his opponent.  
"Well, if you have one let's hear it." Was Robert's response.

Bellemere shook her head slowly as Robert sighed. They stared at their opponent, neither moving as the wind kicked up some leaves, the brown specks fluttering through the air like a drunken bumblebee.

"Attack me! If you do not move…I will force you to move!" Goutetsu shouted from a distance as he shot his open palms forward, a small red ball of ki the size of a basketball shot forward at lightning speed towards his students, kicking up leaves as it ran through the cold, still air.

Robert and Bellemere sprang away from the rock in opposite directions as the blast hit the stone boulder, smashing a third of it. Clouds of dust that were once solid stone hung in the air around the two brothers as they stared in disbelief at their master.

"Come on! Let's attack together!" Robert screamed as he took off running towards his opponent. Bellemere nodded and ran at full-gallop towards the same person. Their mouths open as they yelled, their fists tight at their waists and their feet blurs.

"NOW!" Screamed Robert and Bellemere leapt off the ground with a quick spin that formed itself into a flying kick.

"HAAAAAAA!" Robert shouted as he quickly pulled his hands behind him, waited 2 seconds, then lashed out with a gou-hadoken, the glimmering ball of white ki shaped like a raindrop falling horizontally.

"Hehe…." Goutetsu muttered as he quickly spun with a roundhouse, catching the kicking Bellemere dead in the chest…knocking her into a tree trunk 20 feet away. She then spun back around and with a flick of her wrist, swatted away Robert's ki blast….the white ball shattered into a million glowing pieces as it hit a tree nearby…leaving a slight indentation in the tree itself.

Robert was unfazed as he ran up to Goutetsu and punched. Goutetsu punched away his student's fist and retaliated with a punch of his own; a punch Robert swatted away. Robert tried a front kick, but Goutetsu's feet were faster….a swift front kick in the chest knocked the young student to the ground before Robert's leg could fully extend.

As soon as Robert smacked the ground he leapt back up….continuing the fight. They exchanged punches and kicks…Goutetsu's movements precise and quick while Robert struggled to keep up. He had not been swept away in Goutetsu's current of movement and for that he was glad.

Bellemere slowly picked herself off the ground, leaning on the tree trunk as she groaned and felt her side. Then she looked up, and her eyes widened.

Robert was still fighting Goutetsu. They moved around the forest as one blur…the echoes from the blows an upbeat boogie, the birds and trees invited listeners. 

Robert suddenly ducked low dodging a kick form his master, and then narrowly avoided a chop. Robert attacked with a right cross, a punch that died when Goutetsu caught it in his hand…bringing the action to a dead stop.

The forest echoed with the sharp sound made by the fist striking the open palm as the master and student stood silent, the mostly red and yellow canopy above them and the hard brown earth below. Robert's expression was one of total shock, then snapped to determination as the sparring continued, the two figures fighting fiercely, but at a stalemate.

Suddenly Goutetsu jumped back and fired a ki blast, Robert reacted quickly by shooting off a blast of his own. The balls of red and white ki collided into each other, both shattering into small shimmering pieces.

"Smart move Robert." Said Goutetsu as he rushed in with a kick, a kick that young Robert swatted away. Robert was too busied with his master's furious attacks to respond.

Bellemere watched from the sidelines, in shock. 'Robert is keeping up with master…' She thought to herself as he stared. Neither of them had last this long in a continuous exchange with Goutetsu before. Although Goutetsu was holding back, Bellemere felt Goutetsu withholding less of his strength for every punch and kick of Robert's that connected. Robert was doing well out there. Then he noticed where he was. He had been knocked down so quickly. Defeated so easily! And yet Robert was keeping up with Goutetsu….

'He's always stronger than me…' Bellemere thought, her sadness slowly turning to anger as she clenched his fists…continuing to watch the sparring.  
'WHAM!' Goutetsu did a quick hammerfist to the side of Robert's head, knocking him to the ground covered with fallen leaves. This time Robert did not jump back up.  
"Ahhhhh…I've had enough." Said Robert as rose to one knee, spat and stood up to begin dusting himself off. His head was throbbing, his limbs were screaming in pain, and his body was close to exhausted.

"Well….know this. You did well my student. You are progressing nicely." Goutetsu muttered as he patted Robert on the back, the way a proud coach would congratulate a child.

"If you were fighting me for real, I would have lasted about 5 minutes with you."

"That is longer than quite a few people I have fought. Bellemere! Why did you not jump back in and join us?" Asked Goutetsu…Bellemere looked up at them from a distance, her eyes wide.

"I….I….um…." She stammered, she couldn't find the words…they flooded her mind too quickly to come out.

"No matter. Come, maybe Sayaka has finished dinner." Goutetsu said as he mussed Bellemere's hair. The master and his students walked together, leaving the ocean of yellows, greens, reds and brown behind. To the silent applause of the forest.

A framed picture, hung on the old wooden wall, the lack of color in the photos in stark contrast to the deep brown of the wood wall surrounding it. Beneath the picture, propped against the wall was a bookcase, filled with trophies and medals belonging to Robert.

Bellemere sat cross-legged on the floor; beneath her a thin straw mat separated her body from the hard planks. The light seeped in through cracks in the blinds like swords of light slashing through darkness. Bellemere faced the picture and the trophies, his face blank.

The large picture was of a jubilant Robert when he just was crowned champion of a tournament called Valkyrie Densetsu a couple years ago. He stood bloody and beaten, yet his face held the highest amount of joy possible. His eyes bright and his lips curved back in a huge smile, flashing a wall of white teeth. The coordinator of the tournament was holding up Robert's hand, in the hand held a golden trophy a quarter of Bellemere's height. In the distance was Goutetsu, smiling proudly from the outskirts with his hands folded across his chest.

Bellemere's eyes wandered down from the picture to the bookcase stacked with awards. The golden cups and trophies, honorary black belts and gi’s…. all for Robert. And Robert was getting used to it. Bellemere herself could not remember the last time her boyfriend lost in tournament combat. He seemed always ready for any challenge. He met it and promptly crushed it.

Bellemere stared at her boyfriend’s winnings, feeling nothing. At least nothing he would admit to feeling. Slowly she turned to the opposite wall and peered at her own winnings.

2nd and 3rd place trophies…. plagues…. brown belts. This is what lined Bellemere's wall. Silver and bronze were present instead of Robert's constant golds. Sure capturing at least 3rd or better in every tournament one entered would be considered a high achievement for many; but Bellemere was starting to wonder what was the point anymore. She stared at his unpolished winnings with fierce eyes. It seemed to him every attempt to place further got her nowhere. The harder Bellemere pushed, the more Robert would seem to slack…. yet the outcome was always the same.

"Bellemere, do not concern yourself with your finance's progress…. jealously is a long, hard race and in the end it's only with yourself. Connect with your energies…become one with your ki and your emotions…always be in control and many of your present worries will no longer matter…."

The words his master uttered long ago…. seemed almost irrelevant now. As far as Bellemere was concerned she had become one with his ki and his emotions. She practiced diligently, mastering every move Goutetsu taught her…. yet still…she could never beat Robert. Robert always had some way…some come from behind tactic that never failed. Robert's natural talent for fighting…. coupled with minimal training…bested Bellemere's devotion. It slashed through Bellemere's essence.

'Why…'

The only word that came into Bellemere's mind…. echoing within her inner self. A thin whisper but multiplied so many times it congealed into a stone wall obstructing other trains of thought.

Suddenly Bellemere stood, her face hard.

"I know what I must do."

She said softly as he stepped out of the room, her fists balled so tightly they quivered.

"Ha!" Robert shouted as he quickly exploded with a sidekick, striking a dead tree so hard the trunk buckled under the power. A minute later the unfortunate part of the forest began to sag but did not fall.

"Hehe…not too shabby." Robert said with a smile as he clapped his hands together with caked in dirt crumbling off them.

"Well, I think that's enough for today…two hours a day…I'm sticking to it. Time to go eat some of that left-over mezo soup Sayaka prepared a couple days ago….I liked that spice…..but I forgot the name…hmm…." Robert trailed off as he began to stroll out of the inner recesses of the forest, the leaves crunching beneath him.  
"Robert." A soft voice said with unusual boldness, behind him. Robert whirled around to find Bellemere standing there, her face stoic.

"Yeah?" Asked Robert quizzically.

"A match. Now." Was all Bellemere said, her eyes fierce as they burned into Robert's.

"What? Listen brother I'm a little tired right now-"

"DON'T MAKE EXCUSES!" Bellemere thundered as he shot her hands forward, a white ball of ki rocketed from them. Robert's eyes widened as he sprang out of the way just in time, the ki blast blowing past him and slamming into the tree trunk Robert was previously focused on. Splinters of sizzling wood burst from the trunk in all directions. A raccoon darted further into the shadows.

Before Robert could turn around and face his girlfriend a fist buried itself into Robert's cheek, pushing Robert backwards knocking him off-center. Robert stumbled and Bellemere pounced on him with a fury never seen before in the young student. Kicking him violently in the ribs, then grabbing him by his hair and kneeing him in the back.

"OUCH!" Robert shouted as he fell backwards, disturbing a pile a resting leaves. Bellemere took a couple steps backwards, breathing heavily but evenly and focused on her opponent.

"Listen Bellemere…..I really don't feel like sparring right now…can't we do this later?" Said Robert as he got up, rubbing his cheek.

"Shut up!" Screamed Bellemere as she rushed in again, with a roundhouse that clipped the side of Robert's head. Bellemere then punched Robert in the stomach hard enough to double the older brother over in pain, his mouth and eyes wide.

"See….how it feels…." Bellemere muttered under gritted teeth. Bellemere felt her blood pumping vigor into her limbs and head. The throb of her heart seemed to push her deeper into a fighting mode.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Robert wheezed as he swatted Bellemere's fist away and leapt backwards, clutching his stomach…his face red.

"I've had enough….you're so damn arrogant….." Bellemere hissed as she charged his ki….a white orb glowing his left palm.

"YOU'RE NOT STRONGER THAN ME!" Bellemere screamed as she shot forward another gou-hadoken, twice the size of the previous one. Robert leapt backwards again and retaliated with his own, both ki blasts collided with each other and died.

"I never said I was! What are you so angry about?!"

"You didn't have to say it…" Bellemere leapt forward with a flying kick that connected perfectly with Robert's chest, sending the brother careening into a tree trunk, a soft crack sounding from his body upon impact.

Robert slowly got up…. his anger rising…that last attack hurt.

"You want to fight. Is that what you want?!" Screamed Robert.

"YES!"

"Then I'll give you a fight. But be prepared, I'm not gonna hold back if you're gonna act like a little bitch about it." Robert spat as he wiped a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth, then spit out some more unto the ground. He got up, and shifted into stance.

"Let's go." He said as he rocketed forward with incredible speed. Bellemere shot forward herself with a quick front kick, only to strike an afterimage.  
"Wha-" Bellemere turned and then felt a hard elbow into her back, Robert was behind her. Bellemere stumbled and Robert backfisted her across the cheek knocking her further away. Bellemere fell to one knee as Robert ran forward to top speed to engage him.

"I won't let…. you…defeat me…not this time…." Bellemere whispered as she tightened her fist, her piercing eyes staring up at the approaching Robert.

"HAH!" Robert lashed out with a front kick, Bellemere caught her boyfriend's leg, and grabbing it with both hands hurled him into a tree. Robert's body went limp as it curled around the thick trunk, then crashed to the ground. Robert wasted no time in getting up, sweeping Bellemere as he returned to his feet. Before Bellemere could hit the ground Robert stuck her with a gou-shoryuken, knocking her 12 feet in the air and 10 feet away. Seconds later Bellemere crashed to the ground, kicking up a pile of brown leaves.

Bellemere struggled to her knees, but before she could get up Robert kicked her, knocking her further back and to the ground again. Bellemere tried to stand up again, Robert head-butted her, sending Bellemere's face to the dirt once more. Bellemere attempted to stand up a third time, she was successful as she swatted away Robert's knee and punched him in the face, giving him a black eye. Bellemere then quickly turned and performed a reverse spinning elbow to Robert's face, breaking his nose. A move she had picked up from Go Hibiki himself. Robert stumbled backwards and eventually fell feet away, blood leaking from his nose, two red lines snaking down his face.

"You shouldn't have done that….." Robert hissed, popping his nose back into place.

"What are you going to do about it?" Bellemere was smiling.

Before Robert could reply, Bellemere rushed in. Only to meet a fist to the stomach, a hammerfist to the temple, two more stomach jabs, a right hook followed by a kick to the head that spiked her to the ground. Bellemere sprang back up, only to stare up at an axe-kick that cut her right down again. Bellemere smacked the hard earth, only to bounce back up with amazing speed.

To meet another fist from Robert burying itself into Bellemere's stomach…so far it made the younger student of Goutetsu vomit his lunch. The two stood there, Bellemere's body curved around Robert's outstretched fist, Bellemere's expression one of complete and utter agony while Robert's was purely vindictive. The time lurched, as Bellemere's eyes began to roll in the back of his head…wheezing for precious oxygen.

Finally Robert retracted his fist and let his brother drop to the ground…clutching his stomach…his face buried in the dirt.

"You had it coming." Robert said flatly, as he turned his back to Bellemere and began to leave, walking away from the forest and his fallen brother.

Bellemere shut her eyes tight to block out the pain while opening her mouth to quickly fill her lungs with air. She inhaled all she could and held it in his chest as she jumped up from the ground. She opened his eyes and they shined with potential tears.

"Don't walk away! We aren't finished!" Bellemere let off a gou-hadoken and started running towards Robert. Robert stopped and slowly turned around, his face unreadable. He jogged back toward his girlfriend and did not avoid the ki ball speeding towards her. In a flash Robert held up up his hand and a ki wave negated the attack that was a split second from hitting him. In the white shimmer Bellemere was upon him, she had leapt 5 feet into the air with a cocked right fist. Her gaze was blazing with indignant anger.

Robert's face was expressionless as he reared back his right fist. The feint worked, Bellemere was confident she had the upper hand. As Bellemere's fist shot forward Robert's fist retracted. From a short hop and a hip swivel exploded a butterfly kick that pummeled Bellemere. The first kick resounded through Bellemere's body when it connected, her body slackened in an instant. The second kick knocked Bellemere away effortlessly without even a grunt from the target. Bellemere rolled twice as she smacked the ground and stopped on her side with his back to Robert. Robert's face softened as Bellemere rolled to her back but did not return to her feet. Robert wished to say something, but decided it better to just turn and leave.

Bellemere watched Robert walk away, her eyes flashing with anger…her body convulsing with impotent anger. She lay there, clutching his stomach and breathing heavily for how long she did not know. White-hot tears ran uncontrollably down her face as the earth held her….the cold icy grip of a contrived hug. Bellemere felt she had been punished. Bellemere felt she had been reminded of her unwanted place. Bellemere felt he wasn't ready yet to truly challenge his brother. Half an hour later Bellemere still lay on the ground with her eyes staring at nothing and out of focus. Her body completely still. The sun turned and watched her as she slid behind a congregation of clouds.

Chapter XI: The Silent Dragon

"Yes! That is it!" Goutetsu shouted as Bellemere sprang from behind with a sharp front kick. Goutetsu swatted the attack away, only to turn around and catch an uppercut that knocked his teeth together with a piercing clack. Goutetsu stumbled as the lovely couple jumped into formation, side by side as they rushed down their master. Goutetsu recovered quickly and lashed out with a roundhouse that connected to the side of Robert's head, knocking him to a knee.

Bellemere retaliated by punching Goutetsu in the stomach, then giving him a quick elbow in the chest. Goutetsu fiercely punched Bellemere so hard the young woman toppled to the ground 10 feet away, but by that time Robert was back up and engaging in a full-proof offensive. It was well into spring and the air felt new and improved. The grass felt like it gave you energy when you stood on it barefoot.

Then Robert faked a right hook and attacked with a back-fist that collided with the side of Goutetsu's head, making the aging master blink and quickly shake his head to re-gain his senses. It only took half a second for Goutetsu to recover but Robert would not allow it, an uppercut busied itself with Goutetsu's chin, knocking his head backward, his eyes looking up at the sky. Goutetsu stumbled and Robert ran forward jumping into the air. A spinning roundhouse was aimed for the master, only it did not connect. Goutetsu effortlessly caught Robert's extended spinning leg in mid-air with one hand.

"Foolish move…did you think I wasn't expecting that?" Goutetsu chided. Robert only stared into his master's eyes in complete terror.

"You know what's coming next…..SHORYUKEN!" Goutetsu shouted as he rocketed upward, his fist guiding him and Robert's body on the end of it. Robert shot high into the air, with a drawn out wail growing softer as his body flew farther and higher away.

"Yah!" Bellemere shouted as a white ball of ki shot from her hands speeding toward the master. Goutetsu effortlessly swatted the attack away, but before she could react another blast shot forward slamming into her chest. Goutetsu grunted as the white ball of energy slammed into him, knocking him back a couple feet into the trunk of a great tree.

"Heh." Bellemere said to herself with pride. A technique she had been practicing had finally paid off.

"Come on! Let's finish him off!" shouted Robert approaching from behind running at top speed. He caught up fast and they both took off together. Their eyes hungry.  
"ENOUGH!" Goutetsu shouted as he held out a single open palmed-hand. They immediately halted. Goutetsu slowly rose as he wiped dust off of his uniform, smoke rising from brunt areas.

"You two are strong enough now….this training exercise has served it's purpose. You now fight together, with precision, speed and power. You both manipulate ki like how a samurai wields a familiar blade." Goutetsu said, swelling with pride.

"How many years has it been since I took you two under me as students?"

"Ten years master." Bellemere answered the moment Goutetsu finished.

"Ah yes…ten years…it does not seem that long does it?" Suddenly the age had shown itself in Goutetsu's voice as he relaxed and half-fell, half-eased to the ground. He was sitting on the brown earth propped against the base of a tree long cut down. He closed his eyes slowly, seemingly soaking in the time as well as his surroundings. He lay still for a few minutes, not saying anything as his thoughts drifted. Robert and Bellemere bounced between expectantly staring at Goutetsu and snatched brief glances of confusion at each other.

"Master…?" Robert mumbled, his hand taking a mind of its own as he slowly reached out.

"I am fine. Robert…Bellemere. You both are at a point now where there is no more I can teach you." Goutetsu muttered the words solemnly. The two brothers stood shocked. At least the breeze was familiar and comforting.

"But master…surely there is more…all your experience-" Bellemere started.

"All my experience?! No, I am not here to train more versions of myself! I am here to give you enough to be ready to become yourselves. I have given you both the tools to develop your own method. I've tried to develop good instincts within you two. I've taught you how I've done it; not how it is always to be done."  
Goutetsu mimicked a booming voice of an ancient master at the top of many stairs when he said 'how it always to be done'. The students did not chuckle, their eyes searching Goutetsu's face with half closed mouths.

"Some think the whole purpose of style is to teach every aspect of it students, and that is not my purpose and it shouldn't be yours. Do not become a slave to a style, our art was founded by a man who refused just that." Goutetsu said as he rose quickly. His form now as tall and imposing as the trees that scraped the sky; with a straight back and eyes brimming with confidence.

"Why do you two look so astonished? You knew this day would come. Or you thought you would train under me forever?' Goutetsu chuckled as he finished. Goutetsu dusted off his pants while Bellemere stuttered attempting to begin speech.

"So…what happens now?" Robert asked, confused.

"Well, you are free to do what you will. However, I would like very much if you did something for me. My old training buddy is coming here in a few weeks and he is bringing his student. As customary of our art….the students of each master will face each other in contest. Once you two do that, you will have more than satisfied me." Said Goutetsu with a smile. His eyes looked like he was watching someone unwrap a present he just gave.

"I see. Now, is this student of your former training partner strong?" Bellemere asked.

"I do not know…I have never laid eyes on the student, and haven't seen my old friend in about 20 years. We both went our separate ways after the training….he stayed in China, and I moved to Japan."

"You aren't Japanese master? You look it." Robert was staring at the sky as Bellemere spoke.

"Yes I am Japanese by blood…but I spent most of my childhood in China, only leaving after I had finished my training." Goutetsu said as he started walking towards home.

"Now, do what you will Robert and Bellemere. I have no more to teach so I am taking a nap now." Goutetsu said with another chuckle to himself as he walked off, leaving the brothers still confused.

The flickers from the old candles danced around Bellemere's face as he sat deep in concentration. In front of him lay an ancient scroll, and below it paper which a pencil was being put to. Bellemere had spent a better part of the day locked inside the forgotten study, copying scrolls to take with him. His pencil did not know rest, moving furiously as if Bellemere were racing against time.

The study was a place Bellemere could think; in the candlelight Bellemere could be free from the watchful eye of his master, or the comments from his brother. Bellemere was now 23 years old, and getting ready to leave the place she called home and so much more for the past ten years. She was tall, still lean although she had lean muscles to supplement. Her straight red hair now almost reached her elbows and was always kept tied back. She was leaving everything.

As Bellemere's hand jerked across the paper his mind suddenly shifted to Robert. Bellemere's free fist tensed as a wave of cold prickly anger swept over him. Once they emerged she confronted these feelings by laying the pencil down and closing her eyes. The pins and needles slowly retracted as Bellemere focused, each throb half the intensity of the one before it. Once again calm, she picked back up the pencil and continued to write without a word. Bellemere's anger towards her boyfriend was at first view nonexistent, but sometimes it would flare up within Bellemere.

A thousand thoughts, a hundred possible futures that all felt like declarations of nature. It felt like destiny. A flood of inadequacy that tainted all. Bellemere would have to collect herself and push it all back to the recesses of her psyche. Robert had forgotten about the fight a couple years back, but it was fresh in Bellemere's mind. How could she ever forget it? Bellemere could still feel the cold ground as she lay there, the smell of the autumn leaves was stagnant in her nose. The humiliation of that day the young women could never forget as long as she lived.

Bellemere slowly set the pencil down as she reached over and smashed the flame in between her bare index finger and thumb…killing it with a final puff of black smoke. Bellemere methodically put out each candle in silence, and emerged from her study back into the outside world.

\- The day of the final test

"Hmm…. you two have arrived early." Said Goutetsu as he walked towards the two students. It was the break of dawn, the horizon beginning to creep over the mountains but not yet gaining the nerve to walk up the heavens. The birds streaked across the hazy pink sky as dew glistened on the wild grass.  
"Is that a new gi master?" Robert asked as he stared. Goutetsu was wearing something out of the ordinary…. a Japanese style gi, the color such a pure and crisp white it looked as if it was just sewn together that day.

"The uniform given to me by my master long ago…I never wear it…. uncomfortable. It's only ceremonial." Goutetsu muttered as he tugged at the shoulder, scratching an itch.

"The beads? Around your neck?" Bellemere asked.

"Yes. I'll get to them later. Now….in a few minutes you will meet Master Fei and his protégé. Be cordial, and fight the best you can, I understand they are both exceptional fighters. They have won every tournament they have entered in their homeland. Be careful."

"Like we haven't?! Master, it shouldn't be anything we can't handle." Robert yawned as he looked up at the treetops.

"Hmm…maybe." Goutetsu paused as he stroked his chin.

"Here they come." Bellemere whispered.

From the trees of the forest emerged two figures. One was about 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a barrel chest and a moon face. A long black robe, with a mandarin collar and frog style buttons flowed from his adam's apple to his ankles. Dragons and tigers and various other mythical animals were portrayed on the dark robe in gold thread that shined proudly in the rising sun. The man wore a long black beard, polished and trimmed unlike Goutetsu's grizzly mass of salt and pepper strands. The man's eyes were sharp beads inside two thin slits. His head was freshly shaved and he wore no hat.

"Wong Lee Fei….good to see you again." Said Goutetsu as he nodded with a smile one gives an old friend. Understated in the mouth but with kind shining eyes.

"Goutetsu. The feeling is mutual." Master Fei muttered, his voice slightly raspy yet still warm. It was assumed by Robert the grit in his voice was due to age.

"How long as it been since we last saw each other? 15 years?"

"Fifteen years next week." Was Fei's response, his eyes sizing Goutetsu up.

"Well, it is good to see you again Wong. How is your family?"

"My wife gossips on the telephone while cleaning and all my children are average to better than usual students! There is much to be thankful for!" Fei smiled while he spoke.

"Where is your family Goutetsu?" Fei smiled bigger as he narrowed his eyes.

"Sayaka my wife is around and I have no children. I would have liked to but I suppose it is too late!

"No it is not too late! Just find a younger wife! You are only as young as the person you feel!" Fei and Goutetsu laughed, Goutetsu forcing a chuckle and Fei rocked his head back in brief high pitched squeal.

"I do not want a new wife so I am sure it is too late! AH! Let me introduce my pupils!" Goutetsu suddenly jumped as he had just remembered that Robert and Bellemere were even there. He turned around and told them to step forward.

"The elder one is Robert, the younger Bellemere. They are my students, and are shaping up to be great masters in our art."

"Hello Master Fei. I am Bellemere and it is an honor to meet you." Bellemere said as she offered his open hand.

"Hmm…cordial." Fei said as he shook the boy's hand.

"And I am Robert, I too am humbled in your presence Master Fei."

"Buttering me up are you two? Heh…. now, my student. Gen step forward."

Slowly another figure approached from the shadows. A young man appearing about 29 but he was several years older in actuality. He was of average height, but his slender lanky form implied otherwise. He wore loose black traditional pants…the folds in the fabric like waves of a midnight ocean. His white socks were exposed above black canvas slippers. A blood-red sash was at his waist, and he wore a white tight-fitting t-shirt that was tucked in. His short black hair was gelled and combed backwards, enhancing his clean-shaven face.

Gen's eyes carried a piercing gaze as he stared at Robert,then Bellemere. Master Goutetsu, I am honored to be in your presence." Gen would have sounded contrived to a trainee as he continued staring at Bellemere, then Robert.

"Hmmm…I can sense you are anxious to begin the fight young Gen." Said Goutetsu with a chuckle.

"Yes." Was Gen's response in a cold, dead voice.

"Pardon only Gen, my other student is serving his time in the military. But…Gen should be enough." Fei said with a smirk aimed at Goutetsu. Goutetsu smiled in response.

"Well then, let us get started." Goutetsu said with a certain indescribable finality, and there the fight began.

The ground felt slippery under Bellemere's feet, she soon realized it was because of his sweating.

He stood in stance, facing Gen who was about 20 feet away from him. The hard-ancient stone tiles were beneath, worn by many years of fighting like the match minutes from beginning. To one side of the fighters lay a lush forest, the sounds of nature beckoning to them. To the other side the beauty of man's design, a old Japanese almost-mansion…all sides separated by a stone wall 4 feet high, and 2 feet thick that boxed in the fighting ground. The battleground was a rectangle with 30 feet on the short sides and 50 on the long. Moss grew wildly on the walls, a testament to the dating.

Sweat beaded on Bellemere's brow as he concentrated, focusing on his opponent. Gen stood completely calm, not moving at all since he first shifted to stance minutes ago. His eyes were closed, and his stance rigid.

"You are free to begin." Said Master Fei, and the students obeyed.

They both rocketed forward simultaneously, smacking into each other's faces with perfectly aimed punches. Their jaws rocked backwards as their extended arms criss-crossed.

Gen quickly recovered and swung with a strong backfist, Bellemere swatted it away and countered with a roundhouse punch. Gen used his forearm to block the attack and then tried to punch Bellemere in the chest, Bellemere swatted that attack and bounded backwards. The entire exchange took no more than 2 seconds.  
Both fighters said nothing, Gen pausing to spit unto the ground, Bellemere feeling her chin. A bruise. Both students stared coldly at each other, their muscles like loaded firearms. They slowly slid into stance together, keeping their gazes locked upon one another.

Gen's stance was different. He put all his weight on a bent leg placed behind him, and his hands were formed to look like the paws of- "The Tiger style?!" Goutetsu exclaimed from the sidelines. "Haven't seen that in a long while."

"Yes…" started Master Fei. "I have taught my two students many old Chinese forms….I have blended them and some of the traditional art. You like it?" A flash of confidence was in Fei's voice.

"I'm impressed. You mean your students actually learned the different styles? And how to incorporate them into actual combat?"

"Yes. Gen is an exceptional student, the best I've ever seen. He has learned a total of 5 animal styles. Crane, Leopard, Monkey, Tiger, Mantis. But he only uses about two at a time. He knows better than to do them all at once. That would be showing his entire hand when the game isn't finished." Master Fei smiled, a proud…slightly arrogant smile.

"Excellent Wong….but has he truly mastered all of them? Or did he just learn the moves and move on? One needs to fully dive into the intricacies of a style…."

"Watch old friend…just watch." Said Master Fei.

"We shall see." Answered Goutetsu.

Gen rushed in on Bellemere; closing the distance quickly. He hopped forward, swiping with a horizontal open palm strike. Bellemere attacked with a right hook, which Gen avoided. Gen straightened his back and shifted to the side; kneeing Bellemere in the ribs and uppercuting him off of his feet. Gen then caught Bellemere in the air with a sharp and high roundhouse kick, spiking him to the ground. Bellemere bounced up and kicked Gen in the stomach. Then Bellemere elbowed him in the chest while returning to his feet. Gen stumbled and Bellemere pounced, grabbing the Chinese warrior and performing a classic over-the-shoulder throw, sending Gen sailing into the air.

But Gen tucked his arms and legs close to his body and performed a quick back flip, catching himself. As Gen hit the ground he pivoted on the ball of his foot and shot back towards Bellemere, catching him with a low palm strike so powerful it knocked Bellemere off her feet and 10 feet away. Bellemere skidded across the ground and smacked the hard tile, a cloud of dust trailing behind her. Bellemere rose to her feet as the dust settled, the same silent gaze focused on Gen.

Chapter XII: Duelists  
Gen shot forward, his form a blur as Bellemere quickly spread his legs, crossed his arms and held them tight against his chest, a typical guard stance. He narrowed his eyes, searching for his opponent.

'WHAM!' A fist crashed into Bellemere's guard, shattering it as Bellemere stumbled backwards. Two more punches connected with Bellemere's ribs and then a swift machine like front kick to the stomach that knocked Bellemere 5 feet away. Bellemere caught herself before she hit the ground, just in time to counter another punch from Gen, catching the Chinese fighter's fist and chopping him in ribs with his other hand breaking Gen's momentum.

Gen responded by attempting a kick, but Bellemere deflected then side-kicked Gen to the ground a split-second later. Gen slowly rose with a hungry smile on his face and dirt on his pants. He stared at Bellemere with pit viper eyes; a gaze sharp and unrelenting. He snapped back into stance and Bellemere did the same.  
Bellemere did not show it, but his arms were aflame with pain. The attack Gen used to open effortlessly tore through Bellemere's strongest guard. His arms were red and throbbed with agony, but Bellemere began to ignore it. Sweat cascaded down his sharp features as his mind frantically searched for a plan of attack.

Meanwhile Robert stood at the sidelines, leaning against the timeworn wall, his arms folded across his chest. His gi was a light tan, newly washed…however old neglected stains still faintly showed themselves. His face was at first glance peaceful and blank, however if one dug deeper they could feel a hidden uneasiness.

"HAH!" Shouted Gen as he connected with a powerful Crane peck to Bellemere's chest, making the female warrior stumble. Before Bellemere could catch herself 5 more blurs of fist had struck various parts of her body. Bellemere then lashed out with a quick kick, Gen ducked low and delivered a sweep, knocking Bellemere off of her feet again. As Bellemere fell Gen fired a kick that sent him flying 15 feet away, skidding across the hard stone twice, his body limply smacking the floor the third time and becoming still.

Goutetsu grunted under his breath, as Master Fei chuckled.

"I told you Goutetsu…one would be enough…..." He chided.

"The match is not yet finished old friend."

Bellemere slowly rose, groaning to herself. After a few seconds he was dusting herself off while her mind continued to race for a strategy.

'Let's try something new…something from the one of the scrolls…'

Suddenly Bellemere shot forward, running towards Gen at top speed, her eyes locked onto his opponent.

"Surely he knows how dumb it is to attack this guy upfront like that…what are you up to Bellemere?" Robert wondered as he watched.

Gen reared back his fist and fired a powerful punch, only to hit air as Bellemere seemingly ran through him. Gen stared in wonder, his fist still outstretched.

"HAH!" Gen whirled around to find a white ki blast speeding towards him. His eyes widened as he only had a split second to react, his time growing short.

"Yes!" Robert said with a smile at his brother's cunning.

Gen lashed out with a mighty backhand to the ball of power, smacking it away. The blast ricocheted away from both fighters, towards the forest. Moments later a distant thunderous roar could be heard from a great tree crashing to the ground.

Bellemere's eyes were wide as her hands were still outstretched and cupped together as when she fired the blast. Gen had a smirk on his face, and his pit viper eyes had returned.

But Bellemere did notice something. The hand Gen used to deflect the attack was red, thin trails of smoke rising from burns. She had hurt Gen. Had he hurt him enough? Probably not. Bellemere cursed to herself as she returned to stance.

Gen would not acknowledge it, but the entire arm he used to counter the ki blast was completely numb. He was also burned, but he had been burned before…it was a 'side effect' of being taught how to deflect ki blasts in the first place. Gen silently shook his hand twice and returned to stance, his eyes still locked on Bellemere.  
Wordlessly Bellemere exploded like an ignited cannon, rocketing forward at blinding speed, her fists held tight to the sides of her belt. Gen just stood there, expecting something which he would not reveal.

Bellemere opened with a horizontal chop, Gen easily leaned her upper body backward to avoid the attack, then came back with an uppercut to Bellemere's chin making the fighter's head rock backward. Bellemere recovered and attempted a front kick; Gen caught her leg and did a reverse elbow to Bellemere's chest, and with his back still turned to Bellemere kicked her 10 feet away.

Bellemere's limp body sailed through the air but in the final moments before impact she maneuvered into a roll to safely land. She quickly picked himself off the ground and returned to stance; dust caked into her black uniform and on his face.

Then Gen pounced. He sprang high into the air, bathing in the sun's rays. Bellemere could only see a dark silhouette, that grew closer…..

As if by instinct Bellemere reacted, reaching his hands up and catching Gen's outstretched leg, mustering enough strength in his body to kill Gen's gravity provided momentum and slam Gen viciously into the hard tile floor. Gen smacked the hard ground, but managed to kick Bellemere in the head as he fell. Bellemere sprang backward and fired a quick gou hadoken. Gen sprang backwards himself but the ki blast was faster slamming into him in mid-air and knocking him back further….Gen's limp body skidding across the ancient floor thrice.

"One would be enough eh?" Goutetsu smiled cunningly as he questioned Master Fei. Fei only shot him a dirty look in response.

Bellemere returned to stance taking in deep, slow breaths but exhaling quickly and anxiously. Her eyes were focused on the recovering Gen, but there was a weariness embedded in them never seen before in Bellemere. Sweat cascaded off his hard features like a waterfall, her gi damp and tattered, her limbs and bones aching. The only comfort to Bellemere was that Gen had to be feeling some of her pain. Either way, this pace could not go on much longer. Instantly a thought came to Bellemere's mind. She smiled as she cupped her hands behind her, slowly pouring everything she had into one last shot at victory.

Gen's eyes widened, surprised to see a familiar attack. Gen smiled confidently to himself as he thought his opponent was a fool to try another ki blast…after what happened to the last one. Just what was he up to?

Bellemere closed her eyes, and relaxed…letting her inner energies pour from his body into a little white glowing ball in the center of her hands. At first it was no bigger than a fly, in 3 second it grew to the size of a golf ball. Gen relaxed out of stance and hopped in place punching the air. In 2 more seconds Bellemere's ki attack was comparable to a baseball in her hands.

"What's he doing? Don't tell me he's gonna bet the farm on this one attack? Idiot! What if it misses? What if he slaps it away again? Wait-…." Robert suddenly paused A he realized just the amount of power Bellemere was putting into this attack.

The ki ball had now grown to basketball size, a pulsing ball of white energy that Bellemere herself could barely contain. The fighter clenched her jaw and dug her toes into the grooves of the worn tile, determined to put as much power into this last attack as she possibly could.

It had now been a full minute since Bellemere had started building ki for one last blast, and Goutetsu stared at his student skeptically. The attack had now begun to shimmer, bathing all of Bellemere's form in white light. Sweat cascaded down her strained muscles as her limbs began to quiver. Bellemere was surprised Gen was letting her gather so much ki, but then again Bellemere remembered she would do the same in her situation. Gen stood 20 feet away with his arms slack at his sides and his feet together smiling.

'Just a little….more….' She pleaded with his body, but her mortal shell would not have it. The ki had to be released now or it was certain to destroy him.

"YAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Bellemere let out a mighty roar as she shot the blast forward, the attack looking more like a comet streaking through the air than an actual ball. The attack itself was about the size of Bellemere's entire upper body, a shimmering ball that covered everything in sight with a veil of white destruction.

Gen stared, his mind racing as the attack grew closer. It was too much to deflect, and it was too much to attempt to guard against. He could jump out of the way…no…suddenly a better idea crept into Gen's sharp consciousness.

He shot his open hands out, fingers wide between each other as he spread his legs farther and concentrated…his time growing short.

'Hit him!' Bellemere's inner self screamed, as Bellemere stared at the attack flying towards her opponent with growing anticipation.

Gen let out a low grunt as the ki blast collided with him, sending a wave of sudden light pouring over the arena.

"Yes!" Said Robert as he smiled. Bellemere managed a thin smile herself, her exhausted body had given out and he had fallen to his knees. She was drenched in sweat and every part of her seemed to throb individually but she was overjoyed. Her eyes looked peaceful as she let her hands drop beside him, chuckling to himself.  
When the light retreated, Gen was still standing. He still stood in the stance he placed himself in seconds before, his hands still outstretched in front of him only this time Bellemere's ki ball was inches from Gen's fingertips. The ball was now a glowing perfect sphere, hovering in the air slightly with immense power flowing from it. The veins in Gen's arms were clearly visible as his dark hair swayed.

The spectators were shocked. Their mouths hung open, and Bellemere stared in confusion.

Gen's face told it all. Sweat cascaded down his cheeks, he was under great strain but his cunning smile seemed to erase it all from Gen's mind. His hands held fast, keeping the ball at bay.

"I hope he's not about to do what I think he's about to do…" Robert muttered as he watched the match…dreading what he predicted was coming next.

Wordlessly Gen shot his outstretched arms further forward, launching the ball of power back at Bellemere…twice as fast as before. It sped across the arena kicking up a trail of dust as it flew, the target the creator.

Bellemere could only watch as she lay on her knees, her body had been pushed to the limit. She could not move, only keep her eyes transfixed about the glowing orb heading straight toward her, bathing her in an eerie white light. She had poured every last ounce of strength into that final attack, and now it was being used against him. He threw his crossed forearms in front of him feeling like the action was futile.

'The irony…' Thought Bellemere as a split second later the attack connected.

A brilliant flash of light suddenly erupted from the arena, so intense the spectators had to shield their eyes. Slowly the light began to retract and after a few moments it was gone completely.

Where Bellemere stood, the ancient tile had been reduced to powder and pebbles. A crater of smashed stone 5 feet in diameter, the brown earth peeking through the rubble. Then, a path of dislodged ground shot from the circle 35 feet away to the far wall, where Bellemere lay. Bellemere's back was slumped against the wall, the wall around her now a spider web of cracks and shattered stone.

Bellemere's unconscious form was bruised, cut, and bloody. Her entire shirt, all of the top of his gi had been burned away. Smoke still rose from her slightly scorched flesh. She was unconscious, the dust settling around her.

Goutetsu's eyes were wide as he stared, and Master Fei chuckled to himself.

"Bah! He should be fine once Sayaka gets ahold of him…I told you Goutetsu…one would be enough….."

Goutetsu said nothing in response, only looked on.

"Bellemere!" Robert shouted as he ran forward to his girlfriend, his pace hurried and frantic. Once Robert got to his fallen girlfriend Bellemere suddenly shot her hand forward, signaling her to stop.

"Gen…we're…not…finished….." Bellemere said in a barely audible voice, her eyes slowly opening. She stumbled to her knees then slowly began to stand, her body creaking with pain and hesitant. Bellemere now stood on shaky legs with grit teeth. As she took a step forward, and stumbled to her knees again.

"I will…defeat you…." Bellemere said, her voice still quivering, as she returned to her feet slightly faster this time, her fists clenched as she attempted to make another step forward, a successful one this time.

"Bellemere….you can't fight like this…." Robert trailed off as he saw the determination burning in his girlfriend's eyes.

"Come on….FIGHT ME!" Bellemere's voice suddenly gained force as she roared, then shot forward, her eyes fierce. Gen smiled, then rushed forward also.

Bellemere attempted a jumping front kick which Gen easily swatted out of the way. Bellemere was undeterred and lashed out with a backfist that connected to Gen's head, followed by a roundhouse that spiked him to the ground. Gen quickly smacked the earth and rolled away, missing Bellemere's stomp kick by a hair. Gen spun and rose to his feet in time to deflect a punch and another front kick, only to catch a right hook from Bellemere.

Gen took a single step backward missing a barrage of attacks, rearing back a hand with only his index finger extended.

"HAH!"

Gen shot forward, striking Bellemere in the chest with his extended digit. Instantly Bellemere froze in mid-attack, her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open.  
Gen smiled as he took a couple steps backward and shifted out of stance, his hands clasped behind his back and his feet together.

Bellemere struggled to speak but all that came from her mouth were choked syllables. Seconds later she vomited blood, then limply fell face forward to the ground and remained still.

"The touch of death…..I thought it was only a made up technique…it exists….." Robert muttered as he stared at his still girlfriend.

"Fei! That poison was unnecessary….Gen had already defeated him." Goutetsu muttered solemnly.

"Gen just wanted to stop him in his tracks my friend. Gen loves to crush his opponent's spirit…he finds it amusing. He gives that glimmer of hope…then he snatches it away." Master Fei snatched at the wind with his hand to demonstrate.

"To tell the truth…he learned that technique completely on his own. I did not teach it to him…so do not blame me Goutetsu when he uses it."  
Goutetsu said nothing more, only continued to watch.

Robert wordlessly picked his brother off the ground and carried him outside the arena, gingerly setting him down at Goutetsu's feet. He then calmly walked back into the arena, facing Gen 20 feet away from him.

"Prepare yourself. We fight." Robert said calmly as he took stance. Gen nodded as he too slid into fighting form.

 

Chapter XIII: Peculiar Dance

The sun stood in the middle of the sky, it's radiance too beautiful for human eyes to directly cast their gazes. The clouds were light and playful, dancing through a light blue sky like children in an open field. Below on Earth, another battle was set to take place.

Robert cracked his knuckles as he let his lips curve into a smirk. Gen was powerful, and Robert was anxious to begin.

"Alright, ready?" He asked. Gen nodded silently.

"Let's go!" Robert shouted as he rocketed forward and cocked his fist behind him.

"WAIT! You should not fight now!." Master Fei shouted while gesturing in the air.

"What? Why not?" Robert stared up at the master with a puzzled face, the lower half of his body frozen in mid gallop as his upper body relaxed.

"Gen's last fight was draining, you'd have an unfair advantage." Master Fei said matter of factly, with his index finger pointing at an imaginary chalkboard in front of him.

"And you do want to fight Gen at his best correct?"

"Yes." Nodded Robert. He stood straight now. Gen grunted and kicked a loose pebble near him; sending it flying.

"Then it is settled, tomorrow at noon the fight will resume. Do you think that this is fair?" Master Fei looked over at Goutetsu who wasn't paying attention, staring up at the clear blue sky. Fei coughed awkwardly in his direction.

"Oh…yeah sure." Goutetsu nodded rapidly without looking.

Then Bellemere stirred, he coughed up a bit of blood and sat up, clutching his side with an expressionless face and closed eyes.

"Bellemere, come. Sayaka will-" Goutetsu started.

"No."

Bellemere's voice was the most serious and stern his master had ever heard it at that moment. She stared at Goutetsu, her eyes burning into her with rage for even suggesting the idea. She slowly closed her eyes and began to return to her feet, stumbling. Robert stared forward to help her. Bellemere turned her back to him and slowly walked away from the battle, limping and not acknowledging anyone's presence.

"Hmmm…she has a strong sense of personal honor and dignity." Master Fei noted to his peer.

"You're confusing it…she's too headstrong. Dignity doesn't exclude getting help when you need it. Bellemere may not show it, but part of her is arrogant. And she will not look at us…because she is humiliated. Even her best isn't good enough for him….that could get him in trouble. Bellemere, above all else wants to be strong…stronger than her boyfriend…stronger than me…stronger than anyone. I'm beginning to realize that now…and I fear for him."

"Hmmmm…maybe but I doubt it." Replied Master Fei with a sharp smile. Goutetsu did not acknowledge the unnecessary remark, for he felt Fei was in no position to make judgments of his student's character after only a few hours.

Robert watched Bellemere leave, staring at her as her wounded fiancee limped away. Her black gi dark like a shadow spotted with drips of crimson blood and dust.

The wind suddenly picked up slightly, playing with Bellemere's long hair and stirring the cloth on his uniform as Robert silently watched. Bellemere walked onward, and after a minute she was out of sight.

Robert turned around to face Gen; only Gen wasn't there. Robert turned again to find Master Fei and Goutetsu gone also.

"Hmph." Robert shrugged as he walked away from the arena, wondering if Sayaka had any extra rice cakes left.

The cry of a hungry wolf echoed in the distance, the moon full and the sky a sort of comforting deep violet. There were many fat clouds, great herds of shadows that blended with the night. As a group of clouds drifted in front of the moonlight another howl jolted up from the forest. It was comforting to Bellemere at least, who sat on a large ancient boulder overlooking a great cliff that dropped off into a luscious green forest a hundred feet below.

Sleep did not come to Bellemere this night, she tossed and turned with the pain from her injures flaring up in pulsing throbs. She found out her body hurt the least if she was on his stomach with his arms at her sides but her neck and shoulders were uncomfortable. After several hours she gave up and walked outside. Bellemere's right arm was in a sling and her entire left forearm bandaged. A wrapping also streaked across her chest. A bandage was over her left cheek. The shirt of her gi flopped unto the rock; she had discarded it to feel the mountain air on her skin.

'WHAM!'

A flashback of his fight with Gen shot forward in Bellemere's mind, a crane peck that connected in the center of Bellemere's chest. Bellemere felt the spot on his flesh where the attack connected; a bruise had been left there.

Bellemere grimaced as he thought more about the fight.

"I thought he could keep up, but Gen just proved to be better. I have lost again." Bellemere said aloud to no one in monotone.

What sickened Bellemere the most would be the future coming in the daylight. Tomorrow, Robert would step and fight Gen and beat him effortlessly. It felt like a weight slung around her shoulders, her own inadequacy. Bellemere stared at his fist, bandaged and half responsive.

"Robert will not beat him effortlessly. He will have to fight with all of his strength to win. I must be realistic." As Bellemere looked at the moon again she felt better.  
As he inhaled as much as he could he felt two sharp pains in his side and chest but knew eventually he would totally recover. As he held in lungfulls of air he thought of his own mortality, imagining himself old, sick and bedridden. As she exhaled she reconciled with himself, holding on to the idea that she was still very strong. As Bellemere hopped off the rock and walked away from the cliff he told herself that he must be diligent. Once Bellemere was 20 feet away from the drop into green treetops she stopped and mechanically took stance. Her had stopped staring at the moon. She clenched her fists and began to raise her ki.

"HAH!" Bellemere shouted as she shot forward her free arm and fired a watermelon sized ki blast into the midnight wilderness. But the blast only moved a couple of feet before it shattered into white shiny confetti. Bellemere's concentration was broken once she fell to her knees clutching her side in terrible pain.

Blood began to seep through Bellemere's clenched teeth, and fall to the ground in little crimson drops, sweat beaded all over Bellemere's body as she lay doubled over. Her injuries would not allow her to train tonight. She refused Sayaka's healing to feel the fire of failure from her injuries. She wanted the reminder to stay there until her body overcame it naturally.

The throbbing pain that racked Bellemere's entire body had returned as an owl sailed high in the sky under the moonglow; it's piercing eyes locked on a companion in the night.

'Damn them both…' Was the only thought that came to her mind. Her fists were clenched and quivering as she noticed he was grinding her teeth. Perhaps she would ask Sayaka to heal him. Perhaps she should be more realistic.

\- The next day, noon

Robert bounced in place, excited about his next fight. The battle was set to begin in a little under 20 minutes, and Robert had been ready since he first jumped out of bed. Robert tore through breakfast like a wild man and then ran off to go meditate. Once he was resting under a tall tree it took longer than usual for him to clear his mind.

The sky was quiet and calm, the clouds thin and the sun lazy. There was a light breeze that felt refreshing rather than uncomfortable. Robert was dressed in a tan gi, the sleeves torn off the shirt, and a black thick wool shirt underneath with no sleeves also. His hair was cut no more than 2 inches off his head and it was actually straight for once. A thin goatee lined his handsome face, with eyes that gleamed confidence and a child-like giddiness.

"Man…I'm ready to begin! Where is everyone!?" Robert exclaimed.

"Right here." A flat voice uttered from behind. Robert whirled around to find Gen staring at him, his pit viper eyes locked on a new target.

"Ah there you are. So are you ready to begin? No matter if the masters aren't here, they'll catch up."

"Fine." Gen said, with a cunningly smirk.

The two fighters stood 40 feet apart from each other. Slowly sliding into stance. Both had confident smiles, and their stances tight and mechanical.

"Ready…" Robert started, his muscles tense.

"GO!"

They both rocketed forward running at top speed, adrenaline pumping through their bodies like normal blood. They crossed the distance to each other in 2 seconds, and just before they were to collide both fighters sprang 15 feet into the air.

"HAH!' Robert attempted a couple of jabs that Gen swatted away and he retaliated with a front kick that Robert muffled with his knee. They exchanged punches and kicks at a lightning fast rate as both of them hung in mid-air beginning to fall back to Earth.

Gen lashed out with a right hook. Robert caught his fist and kicked him away, knocking him out of the sky. Gen sailed to the ground with a dead thud, kicking up dust but quickly returning to his feet undeterred.

Robert still was in the air, falling as Gen rushed forward at the place where he would land planning to meet him on the way down. Robert's mind jumbled a plot together quickly.

Robert performed two quick backflips to propel himself a little backward away from Gen's clutches. Gen shot forward anyhow, right into Robert's plan.

As soon as Robert hit the ground he unleashed a gou hadoken so quickly Gen ran into it more than the ki ball ran into him. Gen was abruptly blown back 10 feet; crashing to the ground and remaining still for half a minute.

Robert stood, a clever smile on his face as he folded his arms in an almost pout.

"C'mon Gen…that didn't hurt. Quit playing possum." He scolded, laughing. Gen quickly sprang to his feet, calmly wiping dust and dirt off of his clothes, his confident smirk still present.

"You are….stronger than your brother." Gen spoke slowly while walking with his arms slack at his sides.  
"A lot of people say that."

Robert and Gen once again snapped back into fighting mode. Their bodies were slowly relaxing and with no traces of exertion in their forms as they stood 5 feet apart from each other. Suddenly, a voice rang out:

"Why you overzealous punks!" Master Fei shouted indignantly as he half ran, half walked up the fighting grounds showing his small pot belly underneath his robe. He looked flustered. Goutetsu calmly walked to the arena beside Fei in a time-worn gray Chinese uniform. His long thick braid dangling behind him and a slightly annoyed expression was on his face. He was annoyed with Fei.

"How dare you two start before we arrive! Do you not have respect for your superiors!?" Master Fei roared.

"Um…sorry Master Fei. We were just anxious to begin…." Robert muttered.

"*HUFF* Well you could have told someone! I wanted to see this! Now I've missed the beginning!" Goutetsu couldn't help but laugh as Master Fei's face became a beet red over something so trivial.

"It's alright Fei, the fight barely began…you didn't miss much."

"A thousand apologies masters." Said Gen, his voice almost sincere.

"Yes well you both should be sorry." Said Fei with finality.

Robert suddenly noticed his brother standing away from everyone halfway concealed by bushes watching the match with an unreadable face.

"Feel free to continue at any moment." Muttered Goutetsu cheerfully.

"Alright!" Robert roared with enthusiasm as he suddenly hoped back into stance. Gen snapped back into combat mode himself.

Gen wordlessly blasted into the air with a flying kick which Robert swatted away with ease. Gen then struck out with 5 jabs from the left hand, a right hook followed by a front kick…all in the space of 2 seconds. Robert deflected and guarded against all of these attacks, his confidence never waning. The final palm strike to the center of Robert's chest did connect.

Robert then struck back, uppercutting Gen in the chin then punching him on the stomach twice. Robert finished with a sharp side kick; only Gen recovered too soon and caught his leg with one hand.

"Shit."

Robert said, with a lighthearted tone and his trademark smile. Gen stared at his opponent with his pit viper eyes. They both knew what was coming next.

'WHAM!'

The following attack made Robert fly 8 feet into the air and rotate a full 720o before he smacked the hard tile 12 feet away from Gen.

Robert rose quickly again without a stumble or a blink, not caring to brush any debris from his garment.

The second Robert took stance Gen pounced again; with a swift crane peck that Robert narrowly avoided by taking a step back. Gen countered with a quick palm strike to Robert's chest with his other hand, knocking Goutetsu's student off balance. Robert recovered in time to swat away another crane peck and attack with a overhead right which Gen blocked with his forearm and he used the same arm to back-fist Robert across the cheek.

Robert then faked a right hook, only to knee Gen in the stomach and perform a hammer-fist to the back of his exposed head. They continued to fight like this; countering each other's moves in a crisp sharp dance. Fighting fast enough to not get bored but slow enough so their audience would be pleased with their usage of learned techniques. This continued for another 5 minutes until Goutetsu interrupted them.

"Haha! What do you take us for?! A bunch of old men with failing eyesight! You know you can fight faster than that Robert and Gen, stop fooling around and get to the point. You show-offs." Goutetsu added the last point with a chuckle.

"You hear that pal? They want us to cut to the chase. What do you say Gen? Shall we skip the pleasantries?" Robert questioned, that fire of competition burning in his eyes. Gen nodded in response.

"Alright. Glad to see that we're in agreement here." Robert said lightly as he tossed off his shirts, exposing his lean and strong chest. Gen tossed aside his white shirt also, the sweat on his skin glistening in the sun.

Gen hoped into stance, only this time it was different. One arm, the arm in front was that of crane while the arm in back was of tiger. Gen's smirk remained.  
"Ah…combined styles eh? I've seen this before. Let's go." Robert took stance only he tossed aside the traditional form of his style; bouncing in place with both fists in front and clenched.

"HAH!" Robert shouted as he rocketed towards his opponent. Kicking up a trail of dust as he ran at top speed, his arms pumping in the air.

Seconds before contact Robert hopped in the air and performed a dropkick on the surprised Gen. Gen flew back 10 and skidded across the ground another 5. As soon as he returned to his feet Robert was upon him again, a swift horizontal chop to Gen's ribs that knocked the Chinese fighter to the ground once again.

On the ground Gen fought, deflecting Robert's relentless attacks while trying to stand up. He scooted across the ground swatting away punches, chops, and kicks with blazing speed. Finally, Gen hoped up and performed a spinning aerial roundhouse kick that floored Robert in a split second.

Robert quickly flipped to his feet with a straight back and a body pumping with energy. He took a couple steps back and returned to stance.

"Hmm….they both love this. I can see it in their eyes…" Said Goutetsu to himself, stroking his beard as the sun stared in awe.

Chapter XIV: Fork In The Road

Robert and Gen rushed into each other locking hands; trying to force the other to the ground. They strained against the strength of one another like enraged rams in combat over a willing female. The strain was evident in their exposed bodies; veins boldly showing through sweat covered skin pumping blood and adrenaline to where it was needed.

This deadlock continued for another minute, until Gen smiled through clenched teeth.

'WHAM!'

Gen viciously kneed Robert in his unguarded abdomen. Robert stumbled but refused to break the lock, holding firm after a couple steps back. Gen then struck again with another knee, Robert did not move this time he only winced.

Another knee to the stomach. And another. And with the final knee Gen forced his knee deeper into Robert's abdomen. Robert still held on.

Gen slowly gained the advantage, pushing the coughing Robert steadily downwards. Robert suddenly stiffened.

"My turn."

With that Robert stood up. He reared his head back and rammed it into Gen's surprised visage with blinding speed and force. Gen stumbled a couple steps and limply fell backwards holding his head with both hands and barely coherent.

"That's using your head." Goutetsu muttered with a chuckle. Fei grunted. Neither teacher knew Bellemere was there.

Robert waited for Gen to return to his feet; he had tried once but fell again. After 10 seconds Gen was up with wobbling legs but he was recovering quickly. His nose was bleeding and Gen let it. Gen wasted no time, suddenly shooting forward to kick the surprised Robert in the stomach. Robert threw a lazy punch while stumbling backward that Gen easily dodged.

Gen then grabbed Robert's head and drove his knee into it. Robert's head rocked back and Gen delivered 5 crane pecks to Robert's chest in a second then hopped backwards and exploded with a powerful side kick; knocking Robert 20 feet away into a stone wall. Robert's body slapped the hard stone and bounced off; smacking the ground with a thick thwack and a cloud of dust.

Robert quickly sprang to his feet; wiping blood out of the corner of his mouth with a subdued smile. His eyes were on the ground.

"That hurt." He quipped.

Gen ignored him, pushing forward intent on destroying his foe. Gen tried a front kick but Robert slapped it away; countering with a right hook that Gen dodged. Gen tried a knee to Robert's stomach but Robert kneed Gen's knee; pushing it away and then attempted a reverse spinning elbow. Gen caught the elbow and kicked Robert in the back knocking him away. Both suddenly paused and returned to stance, their eyes locked onto each other.

Robert then attacked with a low sweep. Gen jumped clearly above and landing behind Robert, putting him in a headlock. Robert thrashed, but Gen held him firm. Robert then reached behind him and grabbed Gen's throat with both hands, not letting go.

Suddenly, they both began to move forward…their steps together yet opposing each other. Then the stride picked up, to a hurried shuffle. Seconds later it became a full-fledged gallop.

Both Gen and Robert were trapped each other in holds, yet they both were running at top speed through the arena.

"What the hell are they doing?! This is no time for games!" Master Fei exclaimed with crossed arms.

"You see that far wall?" Goutetsu said calmly. Fei nodded.

"They're running towards it. They know one of them is going to have to let go in order to not be thrown into a wall of stone going as fast as they are. It is a contest." Goutetsu said, his eyes glued to the match.

"Well that is stupid. This whole fight is a contest. Kids these days…running into walls. We didn't pull stupid stunts like that. In our day we just fought, no stupid games involved." Master Fei pouted.

"This is hardly a game Fei. They are testing each other, what each is made of. How can you not understand? Didn't you experience that when Master made us fight Long and Chang?"

"No. They were weak, I disposed of them quickly."

"I'm afraid your memory is fading Fei. They beat you, both of them."

Fei grunted and said no more for a few minutes.

The wall was now no more than 10 feet away. They would cross the distance in less than a second. Neither slowed down, only stared at each other in fierce concentration.

A sick thud resulted as both fighters smacked the stone wall; knocking a few of the ancient bricks loose and shattering the rest that took the impact directly. Both fighters bounced away from each other and crashed to the ground; a trail of blood flowing from each 10 feet away from each other. Neither moved.

Bellemere's eyes widened as he watched from the outskirts of the arena, her boyfriend and Gen lay on the ground like fresh corpses. She could not even see their chests rise with breath; they were completely motionless.

"Hmmmm…" Goutetsu wondered as he stroked his beard, Master Fei stood in shock with wide eyes.

In a few minutes both fighters began to stir. Robert groaned as he slowly turned over, his stomach now towards the ground. He tried to slide to his knees, but it was a futile effort and he collapsed again seconds later. Gen tried to stand and managed to get up with knees bent and quivering. Then he leaned too far backward and crashed to the ground again with rolling eyes. Too dazed to stand they both were.

"At least they're both breathing." Goutetsu muttered.

Robert slowly opened his eyes to the world spinning around him. He attempted to get up; this time slower and successfully. He stumbled to a halt and rubbed his side. Gen slowly picked himself off the ground also, falling into the crumbling wall and using it for his only support. Blood was oozing from a gash in the middle of his forehead, running down his face in little rivers but he did not care enough to tend to it. He wanted to stand first.

Gen and Robert's eyes slowly drifted into each other's gazes and froze once they landed. Their faces suddenly tightened and a jerk rippled through Robert's leg. Both had endured the wall, and both were standing afterward. Quickly yet patiently it dawned on them the only thing they had to do.

Robert and Gen suddenly shot towards the center of the arena. Once there they bounded backwards and rocketed forward into each other. Fighting furiously; their fists and feet blurs, their teeth clenched as sounds of battle echoed throughout the training grounds; rattling the dislodged pebbles from ancient stone. Neither grunted or hollered. The only sounds were the rapid smacking of flesh and and the sharp 'woosh' of limbs cutting through air.

'WHAM!' Robert incorrectly predicted Gen's next move and was met with a fist buried into his abdomen. He quickly recovered and extended his forearm to absorb a kick and countered by tossing the leg he captured away. Gen did not stay down, bouncing off the pavement into a spinning roundhouse kick which startled Robert.  
Robert was knocked 10 feet away but he never was off his feet. He rushed into Gen and the fighting continued. Suddenly Robert stopped and shot out an open palm signaling to stop. Robert straightened his posture and folded his arms, now unguarded and out of stance.

"Gen. This fight is over with."

Gen's eyes widened as he stood silently astonished.

"Gen, I've figured you out. I know your strategies and attacks. We don't have to continue. Whaddya say?"

Gen spat blood from his mouth harshly on the ground as a response. Robert shrugged.

"Now what's going on?" Master Fei muttered.

"Robert is asking Gen to stop." Goutetsu stated flatly.

"What?! If anything he should be giving up! GEN! CRUSH HIM NOW! He is too arrogant!"

"Fei, Robert is not being arrogant…." Goutetsu gave up mid-sentence for he saw no use for it.

Gen suddenly shot high 20 feet into the air, coming downward with his foot gunning for Robert. Robert easily sidestepped the attack and shot his forearm out to swat away Gen's follow up punches. Robert then quickly ducked under Gen's jumping front kick and kicked him out of the air violently with the 'tatsumaki senpukyaku' or hurricane kick. Gen crashed to the ground but lashed out with a trip of his own but Robert lifted a single foot 6 inches off the ground causing the attack to miss. Gen sprang forward with an overhead right; Robert caught his fist and threw him into a nearby wall.

Gen slowly recovered with eyes shocked wide. Just 5 minutes ago Robert and Gen were apparently on an even level. Gen's fists clenched as he quickly took to crane stance. Robert shrugged.

"Ah yes…Crane. Gen will surely beat him now." Master Fei muttered.

Gen sprang into the air again, his arms spread out like crane wings while the sun burned bright behind him. Robert dodged Gen's strikes and ran behind him, kicking him with a vicious roundhouse to the back of the head. Gen was unfazed, taking no time to recover as he lunged forward again with a flurry of punches. Robert swatted each away; 15 in 5 seconds and finally catching the last one.

Gen's outstretched arm was stiff, trying to break free of Robert's hold. Veins showed themselves in his well-trained limb as he grunted in strain. Robert was relaxed with Gen's knuckles in his palm and his fingers curled around Gen's tight fist.

"You can end it now Gen, we don't have to continue. I have a lot of respect for you. This fight taught me a lot. We don't have to beat each other into the ground….you and I both know who will win now." Robert said, his voice calm and stern. Gen pushed his fist into Robert but his arm would not budge. He grunted as he leaned into the frozen punch. Seconds drifted into a minute with both fighters standing almost like statues.

Bellemere watched from the sidelines, her veiled eyes focused on the match with an even steady heartbeat. She was standing with slightly spread legs and folded arms. She sensed Gen was about to forfeit the fight.

'Gen can still win, if only he holds out. He could wear Robert down, and in his weariness Robert would make mistakes…'

Bellemere stopped mid-thought; she knew the scenario would not play out as he was imagining. Gen would tire before Robert. Gen is pushing and straining. Robert is using no more than he must now. A saying told to them by Goutetsu suddenly echoed in Bellemere's mind:

"Minimum effort, maximum efficiency."

She would watch no more; the outcome had been decided. Bellemere turned and slowly walked away, cursing to herself.

Gen suddenly shot forward with front kick, Robert caught his leg and held it. Gen hopped off his other foot, with a jumping reverse roundhouse. Robert released his hold on Gen's two limbs and ducked under the kick. Gen's kick sliced through the air just above Robert's head and Gen tried again with a downward axe kick. Robert sprang backward 10 feet and fired a white gou hadoken that Gen kicked away once he had landed on the ground. Gen rockted towards the still Robert. Gen's horizontal chop was blocked and Gen was punched 10 feet away.

Gen was slow to return to his feet, slower than usual. His movements carried a kind of patience for the inevitable. Robert stood waiting, then he noticed something:  
Gen's hand was shaking.

Once Gen had returned to his feet he only stared at Robert, his eyes no longer piercing but rather searching within Robert's face for something. The late afternoon sun cast an eerie glow on both fighters. The crimson of their spilled glimmered a bit in the golden light.

Gen quickly bowed to Robert and turned, walking away with relaxed stride and swaying arms. Robert smiled and soon followed.

"You both did very well, and I am proud of your performances." Goutetsu started, his voice carrying over the sounds of the night. Robert and Bellemere sat kneeling before him, with Gen and Fei leaning against a tree in the background watching.

"Now, this is an ancient tradition of our art. An award is always given to the strongest and most balanced pupil of the two a master takes on." Goutetsu turned behind him and emerged with a necklace of brown beads similar to the accessory of a Shaolin monk, only each bead was larger and there were fewer of them due to size. Goutetsu held the necklace in front of him with both hands, dangling it in front of his two students.

"As you can see, my master gave me one…" Goutetsu had re-donned his white uniform, his own bead necklace around his neck. "..and now Robert I am giving one to you." Robert promptly stood and Goutetsu slid the necklace around his neck. Robert solemnly bowed and sat.

"Bellemere, this is not meant to diminish your achievements. Your path was more difficult than Robert's. Even if you achieved less than your fiancee it does not mean you are any less a martial artist." Bellemere nodded, her face unreadable. She focused on the owl sailing through the night air instead.

"Would anyone like to say anything else?" Master Fei walked to the front with Gen trailing behind. Robert turned to look into his brother's face but found no information. Bellemere's true feelings were hidden behind a stone expression. Moths orbited around the lanterns as Fei cleared his throat.

"You two boys did well. Goutetsu trained you well. I cannot wait to see the impact you two make on the world. And do not be a stranger to visit me in China, my students need new punching bags." Fei chuckled as Gen opened his mouth to speak, something he usually did not do.

"Robert and Bellemere; I was honored to fight you both and have learned much. I hope to meet you both again in the near future…and this time Robert….I won't bow out." Gen's signature smirk returned for a split second as he and Fei turned to leave. Robert smiled and nodded.

"Well I guess that's it…..." There was an odd weariness in Goutetsu's sentence; as if he wanted to say more or felt something else must be done. Goutetsu looked out at the stars and ran his hand over the top of his head.

"You two know I don't drink but this is a special occasion. There's sake back at the house we are all welcome to." Goutetsu was smiling big now and he turned toward the dark forest to yell.

"Fei! At least stay the night! There's sake! A lot of it!"

"Sake you say?!" Goutetsu and the two brothers could hear Fei running back; his heavy breathing seemed to echo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy the second chapter of this story stay tuned for more Valkyrie Densetsu on the way.


	3. King and Queens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the third part of the story in which Bellemere went to China to steal a technique from some monks. And Robert and Gouken meets Ryu for the first time and finally a side story featuring Go Hibiki and Sagat.

Chapter XV: The Hero of the Day

Bellemere gingerly packed several rolled-up scrolls into her bag, laying them one on top of another. She had decided after all to only copy the ones he wanted and take those, leaving the precious originals behind as a measure of precaution and out of respect for their authors.

  
Three days had passed since Gen and Master Fei departed for China. Robert left the morning after his fight, the morning after his graduation and the morning after his marathon of drunkenness. Goutetsu left for the mountains to further train himself; now that he no longer had students to look after he resumed his wandering ways. This only left Bellemere and Sayaka; but Sayaka herself spent most of her days in town playing mah jong and chess with her housewife friends.

  
The shadow of candlelight danced on the walls of the old study as Bellemere carefully stuffed what she needed into her worn bag. The dusty floor hadn't been swept in weeks and the cobwebs hung like curtains and drapes….yet the room gave Bellemere a sense of familiarity. Now she was leaving this place unsure if she would ever return. Bellemere sighed as she reached over and extinguished a candle in between her thumb and index finger. The ghostly trail of smoke silently dispersed into the stately air with a soft 'hiss'. She picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder lazily, quietly finishing off the rest of the candles. Once the last flame flickered and died Bellemere ambled out of the room. With her hands shoved in her pockets and her face somber she thought of where she would train next. She thought of where she would be meditating next and who she would be fighting next. She felt a splash of excitement because she didn't know where or who was next.

  
"HELP! I'VE BEEN ROBBED! SOMEONE!"

  
A loud shriek echoed through the country marketplace as Robert's ears perked. His mouth was stuffed with food as he sat at a local outdoor diner. It was a busy afternoon with the sun shining and many people yelling and children running around playing. There was no wind and there was no hint of a future rain. Robert paused to listen closer but heard no more. After a minute he went back to his noodles.

  
"SOMEBODY HELP!"

  
The voice tore through the ruckus of the marketplace again. Robert immediately dropped his dish and sped off in the direction; not missing a beat as he tossed the proper amount towards the waitress and winked at her smiling face. He had tipped generously but still within reason.  
Robert had walked all night at a brisk pace. He left Goutetsu's grounds two weeks ago. Robert knew he had traveled far when no one around him recognized the name of the town he stayed in for a decade. Robert's main concern was just going somewhere, anywhere. As he ran his loose tan gi flapped in the brisk breeze. His sprinting kicked up a cloud of thin dust that made his bare feet even dirtier. The calls grew closer and before he knew it he was standing in front of the woman making them.

  
"M'am? Is something the matter?" Robert meekly inquired. The woman in front of him was young and beautiful, but her drab kimono and haggard hair suggested a humble lifestyle. She stood in front of Robert slightly annoyed that he would ask such a question; as she had been screaming for help at the top of her lungs for the past 10 minutes.

  
"I've been robbed! That's what I was hollering about!" She searched Robert's blank face for something but gave up a moment after. "Some common thug has just stolen all of my money." She stated flatly, staring in Robert's direction but not at Robert.

  
"…How can I help?" Robert sensed he'd be dealing with this woman for the rest of the day. They both stood still while people shuffled about around them, the din of all the conversations combined made picking out single threads of discourse difficult. It was easy to treat all the chatter as one singular object of background noise. It was easy to ignore all the chatter just as one did not pay much attention to the sounds of freeway traffic on a downtown street. Robert studied the woman's face as a man carrying stacked boxes shoved him out of the way without a word. The smell of garlic teased his nostrils as a woman gracefully sidestepped around him while talking to her friend about a recent Toshiro Mifune movie. The strange woman that had approached him grabbed Robert on the shoulder and pulled his ear close to her lipsticked mouth.

  
"I want you to get my money back. Follow me around, when I see him I'll point him out to you. Please….I needed that money…" Robert shrugged and followed her.

  
The orange afternoon sky was at the last stand, holding on just a little longer before night would overthrow it. Robert and the woman had walked along for hours now with no sign of the thief. They had been all over town, walking and turning their heads like lost strangers. They had sat at good lookout points and scoped the crowds. They made polite conversation as the hours passed and details were not elaborated on. As they walked the edges of town Robert couldn't decide if he would rather be back at home with Goutetsu and Sayaka or out wandering alone. As they strolled dirt roads Robert wondered if the woman was grief stricken or confused. As they approached a lonely modest tavern the woman grabbed Robert (this time by his arm) and pulled him close again.

  
"There he is." She hissed.

  
Directly in front and to the side of the bar were tables for outside enjoyment. Several patrons sat sullenly with their drinks; flat expressions spoke loudly that they were not in the mood for merriment. Each patron sat alone. Even the one the woman pointed at who had a large beer mug in his hand; the frothy tonic flowing into his backward leaning mouth.

  
"Him?" Robert pointed out in the distance. "He looks like a monk…are you sure he's the one?"

  
"He's the one! You know how corrupt monks are these days….you'd better watch out."

  
"He should not be a problem. Stay here, I'll be back." Robert's eyes suddenly turned surprisingly serious as he began to briskly walk forward.

  
"Hey you!" Robert shouted.

  
"Hrm?" The figure turned around slowly, a lazy daze in his eyes. Yes he was a monk. With baldness shining from sweat, bushy eyebrows, a beak nose and a slender face. He didn't look a day over 19, his garment loose robes with pants that stopped at his upper ankle and a shirt that stopped at his elbow. He got a quick glance at Robert and his face slipped into a look of slight confusion but mostly indifference. A bag sat on the tan ground next to him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the woman, pointing at Robert while his back was turned.

  
"You!" The stranger shouted as he slowly rose.

  
"Me what?! Give this kind woman back her money!" Robert scowled as he walked to meet the monk.

  
"ME?! You're the thief!"

  
"WHAT?! How dare you! You lying thug! Don't make me have to use force!" Robert rolled up his sleeves.

  
"Force! You couldn't do anything with those skinny arms! Now listen, you give this woman back her money and I won't pound you into the ground." The monk took one last long swallow of beer before setting it down and walking toward Robert with the brisk gait of someone annoyed.

  
"So that's how you want it huh?!"

  
"That's the way its gonna be and I don't mind it!"

  
"THAT'S IT!" Both shouted simultaneously as they sprang into fighting stances. The bar patrons were silently watching with no hint of enjoyment. The woman who started the trouble was trying to hide her smile.

  
"HAH!" The stranger bolted forward with a palm strike, Robert easily dodged the attack and attempted to land a right hook. The stranger caught Robert's arm and threw him over-the-shoulder to the dusty ground.

  
"Rookie. You overextended yourself. Your own momentum has just been used against you." Robert shot back up into a jumping roundhouse kick. The attack was blocked and countered with a hammerfist to the side of Robert's head. Robert ducked under the attack and elbowed his opponent in the ribs. Then he briskly smacked him across the face, making his eyes widen.

  
"Why you little-!"

  
Both continued fighting ignoring the woman who crept up behind them, eyeing their bags cast aside before the impromptu battle. She slipped next to the discarded articles and silently searched them for a particular item….

  
"HAHAHA!" She cackled as she stood up with both of the fighters' wallets in each hand. Suddenly she put her fingers to her mouth and gave a shrill whistle. In the distance a car roared to life and shot forward toward her.

  
"SUCKERS!" She laughed as a dirty black sedan pulled up beside her. She quickly hoped in the passenger side and the vehicle sped off leaving the perplexed young men in the dust.

  
"SHE JUST-!" The two shouted as they looked at each other and then to the fleeing car with eyes wide and mouths hung open. Without thinking Robert jumped back and cupped his hands, gathering his ki into a small white ball….

  
The stranger took off running towards the car, his eyes focused and his fists pumping through the air.

"HAHH!" Robert roared as he shot forward his hands, a white baseballl-sized ki springing forward, flying towards the car at lightning speed.

  
With a loud crash the blast connected with the back right side of the getaway car, destroying the tire and some of the fender. The car quickly began to slow, kicking up dust as it swerved around the road. The stranger quickly caught up, springing high into the air, his tightly clenched fist high above his head.

  
"Iron fist of truth!" He yelled in Mandarin as he punched through the front windshield, shattering the galss completely. The shocked thieves could only hold their hands in front of their faces as glass rained down on them, the driver pushing his foot on the gas in surprise. The stranger then grabbed both criminals by their throats and jerked them from the car, tossing them to the side of the road and jumping away himself as the black car ran off the road and into a tree.

  
Robert and the stranger stared at the two thieves on the ground, both of them shocked and afraid.

  
"Give us our money." Robert commanded, his stern eyes locked on the crooks.

  
Wordlessly they handed their wallets over.

  
"Now, go." Robert ordered. They took off running with a noticeable carelessness in their hurry.

  
"That's it?! They robbed us! Shouldn't we punish them some more?" The stranger protested.

  
"Look at their car. It's useless now. They've learned their lesson I bet." Robert nodded, his voice had returned to its natural kind tone.

  
"I seriously doubt it. Eitherway, those were some nice moves back there. That ki control was excellent. Tell me, did you aim for the car or just miss and hit the tire?"  
"It didn't want to hurt them. Only stop them from getting away. The tire was enough."

  
"Nice. I never caught your name."

  
"My name's Robert. And I didn't catch your name either."

  
"I did not throw it. It is Retsu."

  
"Well Retsu, you did well yourself. Destroying all that glass with one punch? Can I see your hand?" Retsu showed him the fist free of any cuts or bruises.

  
"Impressive!"

  
"I studied Shorinji Kempo. Come on Robert. Like you couldn't do that. By your blast I can tell you are pretty well trained. Unless you're a pansy boy that worked on 'focusing their ki' all the time and not fighting."

  
Robert laughed, and Retsu chuckled at his comment.

  
"Where are you heading now friend?"

  
Retsu shrugged. "Nowhere in particular, just kinda blowing with the wind…." Retsu pantomimed the wind with his hands. Robert heard a loud pop from the wrecked car in the distance.

  
"Hmm…well that's where I'm going also." Robert did not look at Retsu as his head titled upward at the orange sky with clouds thinner than he had ever seen.

  
"Yes I'd like to come along with you." Retsu said with closed eyes and a slight nod.

  
"What? I didn't ask you."

  
"You didn't need to."

Chapter XVI: Kings and Queens

  
Her arm floated through the air as if it had a mind and purpose of its own. Gently arcing and waving like a nonchalant feather in the gentle breeze. This wafting limb moved in startling contrast to the fists and feet that clashed against it, unable to penetrate this quiet yet solid defense.

  
Bellemere was only moving her left arm. Her right was tucked behind her and she had long broken stance. She stood perfectly upright, her breathing even and slow, her uniform pressed and clean. Her brow had not known sweat today. Yet she had spent the entire day fighting opponent after opponent with little breaks. The action paused; a man standing opposite from Bellemere had ceased attacking and paused to stare in confusion, anger and jealously with a bit of wonder. Bellemere's left arm now lay slack and still. Neither said anything.

  
Bellemere's opponent quietly took in deep breaths, so deep her upper body swelled. Sweat rolled from her nose, chin and fingertips. She wanted to say something; perhaps question Bellemere about her strength or make up an excuse to why after all her efforts he could not land a blow. She wanted to say something but she found that even his voice was tired from hollering and grunting. He only remained silent under Bellemere's imposing gaze.

  
Dawn was moments away; the air was heavy with moisture and the birds singing was a welcome sound compared to the hissing of the insects. These men had been fighting since the middle of the night, after even the thieves had gone to sleep and before the first person rose to face the day. And one of these fighting men was very tired. Bellemere stared at this person before her, fighting with everything she had and yet Bellemere was only using a fraction of a fraction of her own power to stop her. Bellemere felt sorry for her opponent because in the back of his mind he believed that she was once in the same position. Yet she knows she was never that weak.

Without a word Bellemere turned and walked away, not caring to look behind her for she knew she would not be followed by anything greater than eyes. She is a one eyed man in the land of the blind; here she is queen…

  
The notion disgusted her.

  
"Yes! We're almost at the top!"

  
Robert shouted more to himself than his companion Retsu. He was beginning to wonder why he listened to that village elder when he was told that a 'dragon of a man' lived and trained at the summit of the tallest mountain in sight. He didn't think twice and started climbing, just like any challenge presented to him-but something felt different now. And of course he couldn't define what it was.

  
"This better not be a wild goose chase, or that old man is gonna need a new hip!" Retsu chuckled as he reached for something to grab unto to continue climbing.  
"There's only one way to find out." Said Robert as he placed his foot a little higher, the top slowly becoming more within reach. Suddenly Robert's thoughts shifted to Goutetsu. He hadn't seen his former master for at least 6 months now; he wondered how his teacher was doing. Robert chuckled to himself as he thought: 'I bet he's happily drinking tea or something.'

  
Bellemere wandered the backs roads on the outside of a new town perplexed with her situation. Her power had hit a wall. While training he rarely felt challenged. She overwhelmed her challengers now; to a point where it was routine and nothing was learned. These 'challengers' simply were not anything resembling a challenge anymore. But on the other hand, fights against Goutetsu, Bellemere, Gen, perhaps even Master Fei were inversely pointless. She was thrashed so efficiently he learned nothing. They were so much stronger than her she couldn't begin to analyze and compare. She felt as if she were drowning…either in their collective strength or her total weakness she couldn't tell but she knew something had to be done.

  
But for the moment Bellemere could only wander the path before her, and wonder.

  
"Um…hello?" Robert shouted out into the air, hearing his echo bounce around the surroundings. His call was not returned.

  
"We have come looking for Kuwabatake-sama, the 'king of the mountain'…We wish to be instructed by him!" Retsu shouted, noting that from the echo he sounded nervous and frightened. There was still no answer.

  
"We've been tricked Robert. We climbed this mountain for nothing. Silly old man, I bet fooling travelers is his only source of amusement-"

  
"No we didn't! Retsu look! Someone lives here." Robert pointed to a modest log cabin about 200 feet away from them.

  
"And look, this is awfully flat for the top of a mountain…" Again Robert was right, the summit was a 400-foot wide circle. Also the ground was completely even and flat.

  
"Oh…" Retsu stammered.

  
"Whoever did this, did it on purpose."

  
"That is correct intruders!"

  
A deep, authoritative voice resonated throughout the entire area. Robert and Retsu were frozen in anticipation. They looked at each other, mostly because there was nothing else to look at.

  
"I am Kuwabatake-sama and I am willing to fight with you two! However, I will only duel under one condition!"The voice boomed from nowhere and yet everywhere.  
"Name it Kuwabatake-sama, and we will do our best to follow it." Retsu said while bowing.

  
"Haha good! My condition is that once you fight me, you will fight me without restraint! You will fight me with your absolute best! You will fight…as if your very lives depend on it. And they will for I will be doing the same." The voice then faded into the mists of the surrounding mountains.

  
"I don't understand…'fight without restraint'? Does he know how strong we are?" Robert's question was oddly without the slightest undertone of arrogance, it was almost childlike in its simplicity.

  
"I don't know Robert…but I'm sure it's the other way around for some reason. Regardless, we will find out in a moment."

  
From the mists emerged a figure, slowly walking towards the two young travelers. The stranger's gait was slow and steady, his feet flat. Robert could hear the sound of the man breathing. The figure stopped, and there stood Kuwabatake. His form was draped in a long bearskin cloak that stopped at his bare ankles. His face was partly concealed by the bear's face, the eyes still frozen in the final moment of aggressive desperation.

  
"So…you both have climbed this mountain to fight with me?" The voice was deep, dignified and secure.

  
"Yes, we will be honored to spar with you Kuwabatake-sama." Retsu said with a bow.

  
"Enough with the bowing. I'm not some tired old dignitary that needs to be reminded of and worshiped for how strong he once was. Stand up and get into stance! We've wasted too much time not fighting!"

  
Robert was taken aback by Kuwabatake's fowardness but tried not to reveal it as he snapped into fighting position. Retsu blinked in confusion once then did the same.

  
"Hmmmmmm…" Kuwabatake mumbled to himself as his animal skin fell to the floor with a thud.

  
"…weighted clothes…" Retsu said to himself.

  
Kuwabatake then kicked the discarded fur away. It crashed somewhere in the distance noisily disturbing some trees.

  
Robert thought the king of the mountain seemed bigger now. The man was over 7 feet tall, and he had to be over 275 lbs with his barrel chest and thick tree trunk limbs. His fists alone were as big as Robert's head. Kuwabatake was also quite hairy. Black coarse hair was all over him; he had a thick bushy beard that ambled to the fringes of his stomach. The hair from the top of his head went to his shoulders and it was spread everywhere, Kuwabatake didn't care enough to brush it from his face. This sight to behold only had one a pair of tattered grey pants, with a black belt around his waist almost dyed brown from dirt.

  
"Well, attack!" Kuwabatake roared, standing upright with his hands clasped behind him.

  
His demand was met. A sidekick from Robert was fired at him while a spinning roundhouse came at him from Retsu.

  
"Far too frontal for an opening."

  
Kuwabatake said as he gripped the legs of Robert and Retsu by their ankles. Without saying anymore he lifted them off the ground and slammed them into each other. Robert and Retsu stumbled over each other to stand and when they were on their feet, Kuwabatake was 40 feet away.

  
"Now try again! I refuse to let a battle begin so horridly!"

  
A solitary drop of water crashed to the ground, miles away from any person except one. A single drop falling rang as loud in Bellemere's ears as a plate smashing to the floor or a gunshot. In the darkness Bellemere sat with her mind in retreat yet expanded beyond his body, to the far reaches of her new dwelling. A cave, wet and full of jutting stalagmites and stalactites that formed a unique canopy that seemingly only Bellemere could appreciate.

  
She had been living here for a week now; only coming out when it was necessary. Food was nonexistent in her dark abode, save for bats and insects. A dozen candles stood atop boulders and formations, the wax dripping down the rock faces and the white stalks of varying heights; some stumps and some a foot high. Bellemere had carved a home for herself out of the ancient untamed rock, and she enjoyed her living conditions.

  
Suddenly Bellemere shot to her feet, her eyes still closed as she stood in stance. Mechanically her body began to move, punching the air and kicking with a precision rarely found in someone her age. She imagined himself in a fight, her opponent a formless hulk of flesh and bone.

  
'WAP'! She punched his invisible opponent square in her unguarded chest, making her stagger backward. Bellemere shot forward with an uppercut, then a right hook and finally a jumping slash of a kick. The shadow melted towards the ground. Bellemere picked her up by his arm and threw her into a stone wall; the limp body smacked the wet stone and landed in a puddle. Bellemere walked forward in her mind's eye towards her opponent who began to take shape.

  
Suddenly the opponent rose and it was Robert. Bellemere gasped to find her boyfriend staring back at her with a cunning smile and eyes flashing with playful intensity. Bellemere attacked with a punch, it was slapped away effortlessly. Bellemere jumped back and fired a ki ball, Robert let it connect and Bellemere stared in horror as it did nothing. Bellemere cursed as she rushed forward with a flurry of attacks, punching and kicking at blinding speed. Bellemere's teeth locked together as her face transformed into an expression of determination and anger. The rush of attacks suddenly stopped once Robert caught Bellemere's fist and held it tight. Bellemere looked up into her boyfriend's eyes, feeling a wave of fear sweep over her as Robert smiled and reared back his fist…..

  
'WHAM!'

  
The shock jerked Bellemere into reality. She fell to the ground, gasping for breath and sweating profusely. Her eyes stared blankly forward and her mouth hung agape as Bellemere searched for meaning in her vision. He reached his hand to feel his face.

  
Her nose was bleeding; a trickle ran down his finger as she felt his face in the darkness.

  
Chapter XVII: Leaving The Past

  
"Haaah!" Robert shouted as he fired a white ball of ki the size of a basketball at Kuwabatake.

  
"Alright let's rush him!" He shouted to Retsu and they both dashed towards their opponent. They had outrun the gou hadoken when they met with Kuwabatake. Robert and Retsu both threw punches aimed at Kuwabatake's chest knowing he would catch them. With his right arm held by Kuwabatake Retsu tried a sweep while Robert attempted a jumping roundhouse. Kuwabatake lifted his forward foot to avoid the sweep and leaned his upper body back to precisely evade the edges of Robert's foot.

  
"Better!" A huge fist slammed into Robert's chest knocking him off balance; Robert's body curling around Kuwabatake's arm. The moment crawled for Robert; a burning sensation erupted in the center of his chest and seemed to burn through his stomach and lungs. It shot up his arms and legs and finally boiled to the top of his head. His mind blanked out and when he regained his senses he found he was lying on his back. He lifted his head to see Retsu exchanging blows with the king of the mountain.

  
Retsu shot out with a quick jab and Kuwabatake slapped it away responding with a right cross that made Retsu's head tilt to the side. Kuwabatake then performed a precise front kick but Retsu had recovered and guarded against it. The attack still made Retsu's stiff body slide a couple inches in the dry and level ground. Retsu sprang back and switched styles, suddenly crouching low to the ground with his hands formed into sharp points.

  
"Mantis. Wonder why he chose that one…" Said Robert as he began to get up.

  
Kuwabatake jumped on the offensive with a quick roundhouse kick that could fell a tree but Retsu leapt completely over it and got in close. He delivered 20 quick hand strikes all over Kuwabatake's torso in under 5 seconds. A backfist from Kuwabatake ended Retsu's streak, crashing across Retsu's face and making him stumble blindly a few feet before crumbling to the ground. Before Kuwabatake could take advantage of his disoriented Retsu Robert had sprung to action and knocked Kuwabatake off the ground and away with a solid surprise flying kick.

  
Retsu stared at the scene with his mouth open. Kuwabatake had been knocked 12 feet into the air and was falling backward when he did a sharp backflip and landed perfectly on his feet. Without a moment to spare Kuwabatake shot his arms outward with wide fingers and open palms. A golden shimmering ki ball the size of Robert's torso was the result. The attack met Robert before he could touch the ground. He was struck fiercely and launched away, too far to spring back and be an immediate threat to Kuwabatake. As soon as he stopped skidding Robert jumped to his feet in stance. Where he had ended up he wasn't even sure he could fire an accurate gou hadoken with his distance. Suddenly Retsu skidded to a stop right beside Robert. He dusted himself off and stood up side by side with his traveling partner.

  
"He's way too strong. We have to fight him together." Robert said without looking at his friend, his eyes busy concentrating on the idle Kuwabatake.

  
"Will that even help? Maybe he'll thrash us at a slower rate if we take him as one."

  
"Well we could try it."

  
"Eh, whatever. If I can still use my arms and legs after this remind me to teach that old man who led us here a thing or two about Mantis style."

  
The sky was beginning to turn a hazy orange as dusk began to roll through the day.

  
Robert grunted as he ate a couple of quick jabs then howled as an uppercut tore his feet from the ground and brought him crashing to the earth.

  
Retsu narrowly ducked under a sweeping right hook from Kuwabatake only to catch 2 jabs from Kuwabatake's left hand. Retsu took it in stride, attempting a front kick but being far too predictable and slow. Kuwabatake caught his leg and punched him squarely in the jaw. Retsu rocked backward but Kuwabatake jerked him forward and punched him in the gut.

  
"Retsu!" Robert shouted as he took off running to help his friend.

  
Finally Kuwabatake locked both arms around Retsu's leg and tossed him into the air. The king of the mountain then dashed up to where Retsu was falling, hopped into the air to catch him only to slam him down into the earth harder than gravity could. Kuwabatake stood up and waited for Retsu to return to his feet and limp into stance. Then Kuwabatake pounced, he shot forward and caught Retsu's easily predicted punch and delivered a chop to Retsu's neck that made him gasp for air and stagger backward. Kuwabatake then rushed Retsu and kicked him so hard Retsu spun around 3 times before he crashed to the ground and moved no more.  
Kuwabatake left Retsu to lay there and turned around to catch a glimpse of a speeding white ball of ki before it slammed into his unguarded torso. The power was only enough to make the king of the mountain stagger a single step.

  
"It is just you and I now Robert."

  
Robert glanced over at the unconscious Retsu, his face showed no emotion.

  
"I guess you're right."

  
There was little blue left in the clouds.

  
As Robert was held up in the air with his face to the sky, he could only go limp under Kuwabatake's grasp. He had exhausted himself fighting; all of his efforts were nowhere near what it took to keep Kuwabatake down. Robert looked up at the night stars as raindrops fell on his face. The moment stood still for him.  
'I tried…' He thought to himself as he began to feel his body move through the air toward the ground.

  
Robert's body was slammed into the ground so hard birds perched in trees 100 feet away hastily took to the air startled.

  
A classic 'powerbomb' left Robert on his back, half of him buried in the now slippery mud as the rain fell on his battered body. His arms and legs were outsretched and he was not moving save for his taking in of short gasps of air while staring up at the night with blank eyes. Kuwabatake stood with his back to his fallen opponents; his hands still fists.

  
"You both have been defeated. It was a good fight and I was surprised by how strong you two were. All that power has a little refinement. But not enough! I'm getting out of the rain now. Good luck to the both of you." Kuwabatake began to walk away. Then he noticed the sloshing of someone determined slowly rising to his feet.

  
His upper body was hunched over and his arms dangled in front of him. His legs wobbled and his body screamed at him to collapse, but Robert was up.

Kuwabatake turned around.

  
"Your friend is unconscious because mentally he gave up a while ago; his mind was just waiting for his body to take all it could supposedly handle. But you Robert, I hit you harder and fought you faster…and you're still standing. I've lost count of how many times I've knocked you down but you are still on your feet. You know I'm stronger than you so why are you still ready to fight?"

  
"Because I won't allow myself to be defeated."

  
Kuwabatake's eyes lit up as he smiled big.

  
"Yes! That's it! This is the point where you actually learn something. Before now…your fighting was the mechanical movements of your master and your master's master and so on…the trained instincts of your discipline. But now…now you show me what is inside of you. Now you show me what you can do when it's no longer a game…when it is no longer just a 'sparring match'. I have to say, I'm excited." Kuwabatake snapped into stance, his eyes still flashing with anticipation.

  
Without another word between them they leapt high into the air after each other. They clashed 30 feet from the ground, Kuwabatake's fist buried into Robert's cheek while Robert's extended leg drilled into Kuwabatake's stomach. Neither flinched as they sprung off each other and landed on the ground in their original places. A golden ki ball broke the suddenly eerie silence, speeding towards Robert. He sidestepped it and put up his guard just in time to absorb a driving knee from the king of the mountain. After the failed knee Robert felt Kuwabatake's weight shift and knew exactly what to do.

  
A silent gou shoryuken ripped through Kuwabatake. His limp body sailed in the drizzly night.

  
"UGH!" Kuwabatake strained as he hastily composed himself and fired another ki ball between his legs while falling. Robert's feet had not touched the wet soil either and once again he was struck by a golden ki ball while hanging in the air. Robert now lay in the mud, his ribs on fire but still wordlessly he was returning to his feet. Another sudden ki ball slammed into Robert but it did not knock him down; only made his feet slide in the wet mud. Robert slowly walked toward Kuwabatake, defenseless but determined. Kuwabatake fired another ki attack; Robert sidestepped it and continued his slow advance. Kuwabatake rocketed forward and punched Robert in the center of his chest. Robert's body buckled under the attack but Robert did not flinch nor utter a sound, delivering a brutal elbow to the side of Kuwabatake's head. The king of the mountain stumbled then performed a spinning roundhouse that clipped Robert's head. Before Kuwabatake could plant both feet on the ground he was hit with a powerful gou hadoken at point blank range that sent him skidding across the mud 30 feet away.

  
Kuwabatake, the grizzled old fighter that thought he had grown too strong for any human to seriously challenge him stood up and found he was gasping for air. He looked over at Robert who was riddled with bloodstains, cuts and bruises but was still walking forward. He was covered in mud that slid across his body from the rain but still he was up. He focused on Robert's face. It was devoid of life with cold eyes and a stone facial expression. The fire no longer burned in his eyes it had all been sent to his fists.

  
"He no longer cares what happens to himself…as long as he hits me…"

  
Kuwabatake stared at the approached Robert, then he noticed the sound:

  
A low guttural growl slowly intensifying, a sound pulled from the deepest reaches of the human psyche where civilization had not penetrated.  
"Robert…don't let it take over…" Kuwabatake's voice sounded guarded.

  
But it was too late for talking to do anything. Robert roared as he launched himself into Kuwabatake, opening with a headbutt to stun the king of the mountain then a blur of punches to Kuwabatake's body ending with a driving elbow to Kuwabatake's stomach that made the large fighter choke on his own vomit. Robert then performed a powerful front kick that launched Kuwabatake high into the air. While Kuwabatake floated Robert charged his Messastu Gou Hado, his teeth pulled back into the primal snarl of an animal on the offensive while his strain showed itself in a low wheeze. Once Robert unleashed the attack Kuwabatake had regained his senses and saw the large red comet gunning for him.

  
"RECKLESS!" The king of the mountain fell towards the attack with his fist reared behind him. At the very last moment he shot his arm out and punched the destructive ki ball, obliterating the Messasstu Gou Hadou…the attack that was supposed to kill him…into many small shards of shimmering red confetti.  
Before Kuwabatake could land Robert pounced on him but Kuwabatake effortlessly kicked him away. Robert fell backwards but recovered in mid air and landed on his feet hunched over and drooling.

  
Kuwabatake dashed toward Robert and suddenly stopped a couple of feet away from him; just in time to easily dodge Robert's overextended punching arm and tag him in the temple with a reverse elbow. Robert staggered so Kuwabatake grabbed him by his hair and kneed him in the face. Robert exploded with a ki attack that was at too close a range, knocking both fighters away from each other and to the mud with a red flash.  
Kuwabatake flipped to his feet to find Robert in the air above him, gathering power. Several red ki balls began to rain upon Kuwabatake as Robert hollered intelligibly from the air.

  
"ENOUGH!" Kuwabatake roared and in an instantly called upon the power to fire one wave of golden ki that obliterated Robert's offensive and struck Robert in the air like a speeding train. He splashed to the ground a few seconds later, and as he attempted to get up a golden speedball struck his torso and knocked him on his back.

  
"Satsui No Hado is a one trick pony. Blind rage such as this means nothing to someone who knows his art. Robert! Large amounts of power are practically useless if they are implemented stupidly and ineffectively. You'll cause much destruction of property….but you won't hit your opponent, certainly won't kill them. With great power…one must have great skill to ultilize all their potential. And skill comes with CONTROL Robert! And control is something you certainly don't have much of right now. I know you hear me Robert! You don't need massive amounts of power! You need absolute, complete control of every drop of power you have! You have power to spare Robert but once you really control it all you'll go from being a really good fighter to a great fighter…perhaps even a legendary one!" Kuwabatake's voice began to get deeper and softer, he was attempting to invade Robert's senses.

  
"Robert…you know this is not the way…you know no true strength can be found in this….you need control…"

  
Robert roared suddenly and fired a gou hadoken. Kuwabatake let the attack connect; it did not harm him.

  
"Control yourself…that is the key." The voice began to echo in Robert's mind…slowly driving back the madness. The soft pats of the raindrops hitting the ground began to filter through the red haze to Robert's senses. Robert's wheeze was softer and softer, his posture straightening bit by bit by the second. His eyes regained their character.  
"….Kuwabatake-sama…thank you…I think I…see it now…" Was all Robert could mutter as he fell to his knees. The pain of all his injuries began to rapidly overtake him, flooding his mind and overwhelming him.  
As he was blacking out…he heard the king of the mountain say:  
"If I were to judge…I'd call you the winner of this fight without a doubt."

Chapter XVIII: Red  
"Osssuuuuu….."  
Bellemere's breath was patiently expelled from his lungs as she sat completely still and rigid. Her eyes were closed; she was looking deep within himself and attempting to tap into the raging river that was her inner essence. She was developing the technique of rapidly tapping into her power and bringing it to the forefront in the form of a Messastu Go Hadou. Before she could charge up lethal force in about 2 minutes, and after no doubt days of practicing over and over she could charge the same amount of energy into the ki ball in 15 seconds. Still far too long for Bellemere, and any fighter she attempted to use the attack on. So she continued training, forgoing a decent meal and a humane amount of rest.

  
Bellemere stood in stance, first looking at the formations of the rock around her then just letting her mind wander freely. He thought back to the beginning of her training, back when he and her boyfriend started under Goutetsu. Bellemere's memories were full of moments when she was alone; mimicking stances and movements from his master, from his opponents, from the scrolls she read. And he was doing the same thing now. But where was it getting her? Her mind flashed to a very young Bellemere meditating in the forest, then the image crashed into Bellemere's mind; the picture of her ribs being broken by a driving knee from Go Hibiki. Bellemere's mind jumped to watching himself train in the dusty library, open books and scrolls scattered everywhere. In a flash she remembered the powerful burning of her own ki attack being deflected back at her by Gen. All the years he stayed true to methods she thought were correct, the methods he was told were right, and they brought her defeat. But what about what she was warned against? A mix of feelings began to brew in Bellemere…no longer just anger at Robert. She was angry with the way she was taught by Goutetsu, she was angry for wasting her time on a path she no longer felt he chose for herself…and she was angry because he blindly followed it.

  
But she stuffed those emotions back down once again, and decided to focus on the task at hand. She closed her eyes and let her energy flow through her body, calm waves of energy building up for her Messastu Gou Hadou. She didn't stop where she usually did; she pulled more energy from herself to make the attack stronger…the strongest she could possibly make it. She slowly let down the mental failsafes; the dams that blocked the totality of her power for hier own protection. She gathered ki in her hands until her fingertips and palms burned, and pushed farther. She had to push himself if she wanted to be in her boyfriends's league. She had to shatter her limitations if she was to be the strongest. Bellemere knew this all too well, for her old method did not work. She now had a new regiment. She was going to break herself, and rebuild. Bellemere's joints began to ache and sweat cascaded down her face…she had been gathering power for what seemed like hours but only a few minutes. Still it was longer than she ever had before, and longer than she should if she were in a real fight. Once Bellemere felt that he was about to collapse she shot his hands forward and released the Messastu Go Hadou. The white ki ball's glow lit up the entire cave as if it were daylight itself, the attack twice the size of Bellemere's body and speeding towards nothing it shimmered as if the gods produced it themselves. Bellemere smiled weakly as she slid to her knees drained of all her energy. She was satisfied with that one; he knew that attack carried a great amount of power…enough to destroy Gen, Robert and possibly Goutetsu if it connected. Bellemere sighed as she let himself crumple to the wet ground.

  
Then she heard the thunder as the attack connected with the cave wall in the distance, followed by a tremor that shook the ground where Bellemere lay. Bellemere's upper body sprang up, but the cave returned to silence. A bit of dust and gravel fell from the ceiling onto Bellemere's lap then a great rumbling resounded throughout the cave. More debris began to fall, and Bellemere's eyes darted around her surroundings.

  
'No! It can't be-'

  
Before she could think anything else, the cave around her fell in on itself and everything descended into an inescapable darkness.

  
Bellemere awoke to find it was no different than being unconscious. Only there wasn't the screaming pain that spanned her entire body.

  
The darkness seemed to be a weight crushing the air and life out of him. All she could discern was that she was on her back; she felt she was deeper underground than she originally was and that the ground was wetter than it should have been. She realized everywhere below his torso hummed a freezing throb. The water was warm and thick. She realized it was her own blood, a puddle of it beneath her. Her next realization was that he could barely feel the bottom half of his body and that it was not responding to her mental commands. Her legs felt as if they were slipping into a coma; little sharp tingles of feeling pulsed through them but trying to even flex a toe resulted in nothing. Bellemere's hand felt around in the dark to run her hands over a piece of jagged, cold, wet rock…and then her own numb flesh. There was no space in between. A stalactite had fallen from the ceiling and impaled her to the ground through her midsection. Bellemere's hand flopped beside her as her mouth hung open in shock, choking on her own air.

  
'I am going to die…'

  
The thought burrowed into his mind and heart. The thought of the end of her life being so close made a lump in Bellemere's throat. The panic began to rise in her and her heart quickened. This made her injuries bleed and hurt more.

  
"I…I can't die here…not now…" Bellemere struggled as she spoke, speaking to no one. The words fell from her mouth like drool in the darkness.

  
Is this how you want your story to end Bellemere?

  
An ethereal voice echoed from the cavern walls.

  
"No…It can't….I have to become stronger.."

  
Stronger for what? You can dispose of any opponent that you fight…except for a few select ones….And what do they matter? There are several people better than you and so many that can't compare to you. What does it matter?

  
"They are not better than me-ARGH!" Bellemere roared, the strain from her shout made her body shift some and brought her great pain. She lay still but her head was spinning violently. Bellemere wondered if this was the voice of death as her vision flickered. Bellemere felt himself being pulled down as she saw white spots everywhere in the darkness.

  
Look at you. Your fear of their strength only makes you weaker. You've been Goutetsu's trained dog and Robert's punching bag for too long because you assumed what they told you was right. You know the key is not relentless study Bellemere. The key is what they've told you to hide, what they told you was holding you back… The voice was barely a whisper in the cavern but it was heard loud and clear. Bellemere smiled weakly because the voice sounded like it belonged to a feisty woman.

The smile did not last.

  
Your anger. They knew the power you had, the strength your anger would bring out. But they withheld it from you! Because they knew you would be stronger than both of them!

  
"No..they didn't know…and if they did they wanted to help me…rage is blind power…"

  
POWER IS POWER. Do not be foolish!

  
The voice boomed, but boomed without an increase in emotion.

  
Your feelings, your will to be the strongest…they give you strength! You've struggled to keep them bottled up and it has kept you weak and impotent. Now is the time, your final chance to reach for the power that has always been just beyond your grasp. You could die in this cave a pathetic nobody, or you could embrace your inner self…all of yourself and become the only warrior that matters! Unleash your true strength or die Bellemere!

  
The voice began to ebb; the whisper from nowhere retreating from the sharp wet rocks and sliding back into the shadows. Bellemere swore he could feel it sliding away from her and her panic increased. She squirmed unconsciously and howled in pain a split second later. She couldn't seem to get enough air in her lungs. The dizziness was becoming unbearable. It felt like his soul was to be violently thrown from her body in mere moments.

  
"What do I do? How do I unlock my true self? How do I tap into this power?!" Bellemere's desperate voice echoed in the caverns but it was not returned. He coughed violently as his arms began to go numb.

  
"Well look at you!"

  
Bellemere looked up to find herself staring at Robert. But how? Bellemere's vision was blinking in and out; and when it was in it the entire image was blurred. What Bellemere saw shook in a haze.

  
"What are you doing here?!" Bellemere thundered; then coughed more blood.

  
"I'm just here to watch. Hey, do you need any help?" The faded image of Robert bent over a little and offered his hand to Bellemere with the open palm just a few inches from Bellemere's face. Bellemere spat at it.

  
"I'd rather die than receive help from you!"

  
"It looks like that's exactly what you'll do too. Well with you dead I guess its up to me to teach our style to the next generation….shit I can't remember any of the katas though…" Robert straightened himself up and pondered.

  
"Fool! You never gave a damn about Ansatsuken did you? You just wanted to spar, to fight…to get dirty and bloody. I studied; I tried to learn everything there was to know about our style! ….and you…You sat on your ass if there wasn't a tournament coming up!" Bellemere's shouting racked his body. Lightning bolts that struck from from her spine outward. Her shouts were weak and staggered and her head bobbed with the impending unconsciousness.

"And look where it got me."

Robert's sly smile said it all. He grinned in the dying Bellemere's face, the same grin he had shown to opponents when he knew the fight was close to finishing. The same grin that he had since his carefree youth. Bellemere stared at it, focused on it. Refusing to blink so her eyes began to water. Her body from the waist down now felt like dead weight. A sinking ship. Bellemere's nerves from the waist up were violently aflame, screaming at him to do something to make the pain stop.  
Robert then turned around and began to walk away; the hallucination fading into the rocks.

  
Bellemere's anger began to boil inside of her, bubbling faster and faster until his her jaw felt it would shatter from how hard she bit down. Thoughts of all the attacks that ever caught her by surprise flashed through her mind. The crushing blows that chipped away at her strength and her resolve over and over again, now began to build her up. She let his anger flow through her, like hot lava running through the veins of the planet earth. Images flashed in Bellemere's mind faster and faster. Her father falling to the ground dead, the pain of her own boyfriend's fist, the image of Gen on the end of Robert's flying kick, Robert under the influence of Satsui No Hado, Goutetstu teaching her and Robert to meditate, Goutetsu sliding the ceremonial beads around Robert's neck, General Tracy's grinning face. The images flew by faster and faster, slowly gaining a red tint as they whizzed through Bellemere's mind.

  
Bellemere howled and shot her fist forward, smashing the rock that had pinned her down into dust and jagged daggers of stone. She jumped to her feet and instantly fell to her knees…yet her body pulsed with energy…her fingertips anxious and her eyes wide and blank. Deep in her mind she knew she would be on hwe feet in an instant.

  
"ARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!" Bellemere screamed from the bottom of her soul as she lashed out at the surroundings around him. Firing ki blasts in every direction, punching and kicking the cavern walls so hard they crumbled under her limbs. She was in a frenzy; attacking everything and anything around her. Blasting red light at the darkness. Using her legs for bursts of jumps. Firing behind her as she instinctevly sought level ground. Seeing great slabs of stone slid away away deep into the darkness and hearing the cracks and rumbles as they banged through to the bottom. She thought of nothing, she could only appreciate the destruction and vaguely plan her escpace. It isn't known how long Bellemere was down there under Satsui No Hado….but she had blown herself out of the rubble as soon as the first hints of dawn began to streak across the sky.

  
She finally had a chance to look at herself under the approaching light. She was bleeding from everywhere. Deep cuts lined her entire body plus the hole in his abdomen from the stalactite. She was sure she had broken a rib or two but he was not feeling any pain. As a beam of sunlight streaked across the sky Bellemere looked directly at it and had to squint. She could hear the chirping of birds but the sound seemed very far away from her. As the light stung her face the pain of her injuries began flooding her mind. Bellemere looked down at her injuries one more time and something inside her shorted out. She collapsed on the spot, flopping onto the green grass limply. But she was alive and she was reborn.

Chapter XIX: Might Makes Right

\- China

"Are you serious?! Some young women from England demands to see the ancient scrolls? Tell him no and don't bother me with such trivialities again!"

  
A quick thump on the head from the elder sent the young monk messenger scampering through the halls of the dusty temple. Minutes later he arrives at the tense scene with the intruder. The young boy stops, composes himself and clears his throat to sound important. There is no noise in the secluded mountains today. The mist hangs over the peaks and the sky seems layered with thin clouds.

  
"The clan chief prohibits the viewing of the technique scrolls!" Shouted the boy in a faux deep voice.

  
10 older shaolin monks were in the same room with their eyes set upon Bellemere. One opened his mouth to speak.

  
"If you want to spar with us, that's fine. We could both learn from each other. But no outsiders are allowed to see our secrets." The young man stated with caution, his hands balled into fists behind his back.

  
"We can't give you the secrets to our art." Another monk reiterated.

  
"Then I'll take them." Bellemere's ability to speak Mandarin Chinese proved satisfactory.

  
The stranger's reply startled the monks. They stiffened their stances and exchanged quick nervous glances with each other. The well tended hardwood floor gleamed with polish. The monastery was of a moderate size but furnished humbly. The materials were simple and the colors of the walls, balconies and columns were natural earth tones. The air had a dense cold to it.

  
"Then we'll have to stop you." The lead monk answered.

  
"It is arrogant and selfish to hide and hoard techniques. You do not own power. You do not have a right to it just because you are a certain sect. If you truly believe you do, then prove it. Defeat me and protect your treasures."

  
One overzealous student wasted no time, lunging at Bellemere with a bamboo staff. Bellemere stood still with her back to the charging monk. The monk leapt into the air, holding her staff above her head with both hands. She then brought it crashing down upon Bellemere, and once her feet touched the ground she was frozen in shock.

  
Bellemere had not moved, and the monk's bamboo staff was broken in two. Before the monk could finish gasping Bellemere turned around and punched him about 20 feet away, making the monk's body slide and bounce on the clean wood floor until he hit a wall and was still. The room breathed as Bellemere rigidly shifted into fighting stance and the monks encircled her. The candle flames flickered in excitement for the contest they were about to witness. The floorboards braced themselves for the strain they knew was impending. Out of the nine fighters left four had weapons. There were two swordsmen, a man with nunchaku and another man with a staff. They all had their weapons drawn and ready. Bellemere took in a deep breath of the cool air and felt enclosed in relaxation and readiness.

  
"Well, attack me."

  
"Haaah!" One monk uttered a short shout and sprang forward with a jumping front kick. Once the kick was deflected the monk fell into a low stance, one leg almost parallel to the ground and the other crouched, his arms outward expecting attack. Another monk from behind attacked, Bellemere blocked the punch and tried to deliver a backfist but the monk was using his other arm to guard. The two monks now stood facing Bellemere waiting on him to move. Bellemere lashed out with a front kick that turned into a rushing elbow, knocking one monk off his feet and hitting the ground a couple feet away. Before Bellemere could turn around a fist slammed into her cheek. As Bellemere leaned backward a heel drove itself into her back.

This was followed by another punch to the opposite cheek; Bellemere stumbled a few steps and then stopped abruptly. She whirled around to find a flying kick aimed straight for him. She caught the attacker's leg and hurled him into the group advancing, knocking them all over like bowling pins. Bellemere gave them time to all get up and encircle her again as his impatience simmered. She was not in stance this time, her back straight and her hands balled into fists at her sides.

Her face was vacant. The scene returned to the static silence, the floorboards were given a break and they enjoyed it. Bellemere did not wait until she was attacked first this time as she lashed out with a swift punch that tore through the first person in front of her; knocking him off balance and disorienting him. Bellemere delivered a flurry of punches to the monk's torso then tripped him.

Before the monk could fall to the ground Bellemere performed a reverse side-kick to her airborne body that knocked him against a wall. The monk groaned below a smattering of blood on the wood. Bellemere cupped her hands to her side to build ki quickly and fired a ki ball at the monk approached quickly from her right. She did not look to see where the monk landed as she turned and deflected a kick and swatted away a punch on the opposite side.

Bellemere jumped backward and barreled over 3 monks with a Tatsumaki Zankuu Kyaku. She was focused on destroying all of her opponents and getting what she came for. As a monk that had been knocked against a wall sprang up to attack a ball of purple ki exploded from Bellemere's outstretched palms, slamming into the monk and knocking him through the same wall his hunched back was leaning on a minute earlier. When the dust settled, his ankles dangled outside a gaping hole in the ancient and now splintered wood.

  
A monk shouted and rushed forward. Bellemere took one step to the side and deflected a punch-kick combination from the monk. The swift chop to the neck from behind knocked the monk forward and to the ground. Another monk jumped forward and was floored with a lightning fast roundhouse kick before he could even attack. The two swordsmen criss-crossed into Bellemere's path and both slashed downward simultaneously. Bellemere effortlessly avoided their blades and waited for the next attack as the two men paused side by side in front of her with swords held above their heads. One monk nodded to the other and attacked; running forward swinging her blade wildly.

Bellemere ducked and swerved as the other swordsman attempted a forward thrust that was sidestepped. Bellemere delivered a powerful downward chop to the exposed neck of the one nearest her that dropped the monk. The other swordsman had leapt into the air with his sword held high with both hands, poised to deliver a downward strike capable of cleaving its target into pieces. Bellemere caught the blade in between her two open hands. The monk gasped and Bellemere smiled. In what seemed like a single motion Bellemere snatched the sword from the monk's hand and backfisted him so hard he bounced off the ground.

  
"You all are too weak to waste my time with." Bellemere closed his eyes and looked inward. She tapped into the volcano that was inside and pulled from it. He sprang high into the air with her eyes still closed and fists at her sides. She suddenly shot a single palm downward and out burst a Tenma Gou Zankuu. The ball of purple flame zeroed in on the group of monks who could only stare like deer in headlights. The attack decimated the group; scattering their scorched bodies everywhere in the room. When Bellemere's feet touched the ground again she was the only one standing but one last fighter struggled to prop himself up for another attempt. He was cut, bruised and hunched over but still he remained in Bellemere's way.

  
"You will abuse our techniques…I can't let you have them. Not while I'm still standing."

  
"I've said before. They aren't your techniques."

  
Bellemere slowly strolled up to the monk until he was inches away from her face. She stared into the monk's eyes…they were steeled with resolve but the rest of her face could not hide the great fear that gripped it. The monk's lips quivered and sweat on his cheek glistened in the dim light as Bellemere stood motionless and unreadable. Bellemere continued to study the monk's face for a few moments before the monk snapped and attacked. A lazy punch from Bellemere brought him down in a split-second. As Bellemere looked around him he saw several men writhing and groaning on the floor but none stood up and none attacked. The rest were motionless in defeat.

  
Bellemere moved on, deeper into the temple. She briskly jogged down a dark corridor with ornate candles lining the walls too high to reach unaided. She could hear shouts and movement in front of her behind a great door. Bellemere was smiling as she thought about who else would stand in her way. Her rapid footsteps echoed like a war drum as he neared the end of the long hallway. With a might shove he pushed a large red door open and entered a great hall. There were two levels and a great number of monks surrounding her. Too many to count and so many that they would just get in each other's way if they tried to take her at once.

  
The young and old were present with suspicious eyes. Warriors and scholars were rolling up their sleeves as they stared at him. Even the cooks seemed ready to fight if it came down to it. Bellemere chuckled to herself. Part of him enjoyed besting her opponents and she knew that same part would relish in this grand battle.

  
"Do all of you wish to fight me?!"

  
She laughed loudly; then eased into stance. The crowd tensed.

  
"Stop!"

  
An old but powerful voice shouted in the distance. The front of the miniature army divided like a doorway and the temple elder appeared. He was tall, dressed in long flowing robes that were of a plain fabric but looked like silk on him. He had a long white beard and long hair tied close to him. In his hand held an ornate brass tube; no doubt containing a scroll. No doubt containing what Bellemere wanted.

  
"You all would have thrown your lives away fighting this woman. She is resolved to acquire knowledge and she is strong enough to take it. I believe…in a way this man has proven himself worthy of this scroll."

  
Bellemere was surprised at what she was hearing. She relaxed out of stance and stood up straight. Her head darted around the room slightly confused.  
"Young lady…strength clears paths. But not all paths. You will one day encounter someone stronger than you because your soul is weak. Take the scroll and leave in peace."

  
"How did you know which one I desired?"

  
"I feel the fire in you. This particular scroll is the only thing a man of your alignment would want here." As the elder spoke his followers looked anxious. Some looked angry but most looked baffled.

  
Bellemere gingerly grasped the container from the elder and bowed. She then turned to leave.

  
"I must warn you. The power held inside that could consume your soul." The elder's eyes seemed concerned but stern.

  
"My soul is mine to do what I please with. I thank you elder."

  
Bellemere respectfully paused to bow while continuing out the door. The residents of the monastery lowered their fists slowly. Once the door behind Bellemere carefully closed and she was gone a young monk ran up the elder in a panic.

  
"Elder! Why?! What was the meaning of giving him our secrets?!" The young boy's eyes glimmered with potential tears.

  
"To seal her destiny my son."

\- Japan

"I think this should be the place." Robert proclaimed as he let his bag drop into the full green grass. It was a piece of land that no one was interested in. It belonged to a farming family that left it to go to the city someone a few miles back said. From the looks of the two-story house and surrounding areas they had left a generation ago. The grass grew wildly on the lawn and had crept up to the porch. The paint was gone in most places on the outside and half the windows were broken. There was enough cleared ground to fight comfortably in and the forests and mountains were their neighbors in the distance. The plot they were looking at was only cleared for an acre and the rest was thick with trees and bushes. The hills in the far distance were green and gentle in appearance.

  
"So you want to settle here?" Retsu questioned, the area was a little too country for him.

  
"Yes. It's the perfect place for us to train. Perhaps one day take on students! So much space…you know I studied in this same sort of setting."

  
"You've told me countless times Robert. Meditating under waterfalls, fighting on top of slippery logs. I guess the training worked."

  
Retsu walked forward toward the house, examining the ground with scanning eyes.

  
"Yeah it'll need work. Landscape a bit. We need a big patch of clear dirt to spar in of course. Shouldn't be too hard." Robert said as he slowly spun around staring at the sky.

  
"It'll need a ton of work. I think a lot of this wood is no good." Retsu muttered as he reached for the doorknob. He pulled it and the door came off with a crunch followed by the 'ting' of metal dropping. Retsu almost tripped backward down the few steps off the porch.

  
"I'll settle here for a good while at least." He shoved the broken door aside and sneezed. Retsu didn't like all the money and time they'd have to spend fixing the house up but the view and solitude more than made up for it in his mind. He wiped dust off of his clothes and walk back toward the daydreaming Robert.

  
"So how do we go about purchasing this land? Or can we just squat? I don't think anybody cares if we squat."

  
"No we're not squatting. We're pretty broke but on the bright side…if we were to purchase this land we don't have to pay all of it right now. We have enough for a down payment. But more would have to come later."

  
"How are we going to get that more for later?"

"We have a few options. As long as every so often Robert the number one fighter rakes in some tournament prize money."

  
"You'd better be bringing in some prizes yourself! There are only so many tournaments!"

  
Retsu and Robert chuckled at the idea that it would be so easy. Robert wondered to himself about what kind of job he'd have to get. But after almost 2 years of wandering he wanted to have a place where he could stay and live, instead of just pass by or through for a few moments. He had known 2 places called 'home' in his life and he realized he was in need of a third.

  
"Retsu, why did you get kicked out of the Shaolin temple again?"

  
"A bunch of reasons."

  
"Give me one for now." Robert asked Retsu this question every so often, and every time he was given a different answer.

  
"I went to the city every weekend, slipped out to gamble a bit or hit on a few girls. When I got into fights my elders took it as a personal insult to the school."

  
"You were a bad monk." Robert teased. He was glad they were able to be light with each other. The gentle breeze and blue sky helped.

  
"No, just immature. Being a monk is so restricting, after spending all day sweeping and dusting and reading you want to have a little fun once in a while."

  
"That doesn't sound like regret Retsu."

  
"I don't regret being ousted. It just wasn't for me at the time, and still isn't. Hence me wandering Japan, being a bum with you."

  
"We aren't bums anymore. We're landowners."

  
"Whatever. Welcome home."

  
"You too!"

  
This home was known as Sujyaku.

Chapter XX: The Boy from the Market

  
Darkness.

  
A darkness deep and total, with a silence so vast Gouken and Robert thought for a moment they were deaf. The emptiness, they saw no end in sight in any direction. Something gave Gouken and Robert the impression that it was not a darkness to be wary of, but more along the lines of the void of a blank canvas. From the black numerous tiny flames emerged, slowly filling Gouken and Robert's view. Flames fueled by the invisible, some farther away and some closer. Some violent, some gentle and small. Countless and Gouken and Robert wondered how different they all were from each other. He fought the urge to reach out and touch one of them.

  
Then the candleless flames started to fade back into the void, until only one light remained, a single fire to focus Gouken and Robert's attention:

  
Was it a flame? Now it was a young boy, standing there in the black with dirty clothes and vacant eyes. The void itself began to recede; the scene fading into a carrow city alleyway impossibly crowded with blurry moving people. The boy never moved, and the people shuffling all around him did not notice or disturb.  
Gouken and Robert wondered why the child was the only one in focus, the only person they could see clearly.

  
As if the great sandman had heard Gouken and Robert, the alleyway was empty save the child in an instant. The blurry bustling people simply faded without a sound. Gouken and Robert could not see the sun, but he thought that the boy had an unusually long shadow…

  
The shadow behind the boy then began to pulse and twitch, or maybe Gouken and Robert was just late on noticing it? The shadow appeared alive, Gouken and Robert sensed it was a part of the boy, and familiar to himself. Gouken and Robert felt the shadow to be a danger to the child; they felt an intense urge to help him. As Gouken and Robert neared the boy the shadow rose off the ground, rising in height like a predator.

  
"No!" His voice seemed small and muddled. The boy was unmoving as the shadow rose over his head to enclose him.

  
Gouken and Robert dashed towards the boy wondering how to fight the shadow. As he ran he felt a chilling cold over his shoulder, a blast of icy wind that stung his skin. He turned his head and there was nothing to see, only the darkness that had now enclosed him.

  
This was the recurring dream Gouken had been having for the past two months. He did not mention it to anyone.

\- Japan

  
"Hey Gouken and Robert Vermilion! More herbs for this week?"

  
Gouken and Robert stopped and turned to who called them with a warm disarming smile.

  
"Of course Mrs. Nishiko! I almost forgot!"

  
Another Saturday morning at the market. This particular time the market was only half packed and it was much appreciated by the patrons present. Robert has gone every week for groceries for the past 5 years. He is 31 years old now, and enjoying routine.

  
"Thank you very much Mrs. Nishiko." Robert flashed another smile to the kind old woman as he handed her the money for the collection of medicines and teas and walked on. His stride was natural yet modest. He walked with planned steps but they were not meek. He walked with a straight back, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a sack of goods slung over his shoulder. Robert and Gouken strolled down street hanging to the far right. They liked to watch the activity of the market; it was a nice change from the solitude found at home.

  
It was still home; he was surprised at how content he was here. In the back of his mind he figured the itch to continue wandering would never leave him. The itch for what? The itch to sleep in haystacks in run down barns? The itch to look over your shoulder for bandits while the cold wind slashed into your face? Robert liked the feeling of having a place where people knew him and he knew them. He enjoyed sleeping, training, and eating in one place again. Robert was home yet something was still absent. Maybe it was the feeling that he'd hit a wall with his own progression in his art. For the better part of a year now he felt like he was not getting stronger. No matter how much he meditated or spared with Retsu and Gouken Robert did not feel like he was improving.

'Have I reached my limit already? Is this the best I'll ever be?' Robert thought to himself as he strolled through the vibrant marketplace.

'Or maybe I just need to fight more people? Learn from others out there. I'm limiting myself just staying here…' Robert did not want to think of it like that, he fought the urge to think of it as a negative. Making a home and staying in it did not feel like a limitation. Robert was drifting away from the marketplace now, ambling down a narrow street towards the outskirts of town. Making a home and staying in it was not a limitation.

'A lot of things I need to learn to become stronger wandering can't teach me.'

Once Robert uttered that thought in his mind the questions fell away, withering into nothing before such a clear statement. Robert turned his head behind him to see the market and crowd of people farther away than he thought they were. Then Robert thought of his wife, and wondered how far away she was now. She had to be stronger now than he was the last time Robert saw her. How strong? It had been 10 years since they had spoken; it had been 10 years since they had seen each other.

'Hmph. Bellemere isn't in a rush to see me anyway.'

  
Once Robert muttered this inside himself he wondered if it were true. He was now at the top of a hill, the town being behind him and barely touched countryside spread before him. He could make out a winding dirt path that ambled into the horizon, a road out of town. He smiled to himself; the itch to walk down that road was small. Home was in the other direction.

  
Gouken then registered a slight tug on his pant leg that snapped him back to the present.

  
"Are you lost?"

  
Gouken and Robert looked down into the dirt caked face of a boy no older than 8. His eyes held an honesty Gouken and Robert had rarely seen in anyone, his clothes were in tatters but he stood straight.

  
"No not at all. Just looking out and thinking. I don't need to be lost to do that." The boy was looking out at the sky and earth beside him, his eyes seemed to be searching, scanning the landscape for what Gouken and Robert was looking for or at. It had to be interesting to make such a big man's stop and stare.  
"I don't see many adults look out into the sky like you. When I see adults look out into the sky it is because they are worried."

  
"Well…I am worried. But more just thinking. I'm not sad." Neither Gouken and Robert nor the boy had turned to face each other while speaking yet. Gouken turned his face away from the sky and to the boy to continue the conversation.

  
"Why are you sad boy?"

  
"Being hungry makes me sad. But it does not make me look out into the sky, it makes me watch the ground and tables and people for food!"  
Gouken couldn't help but chuckle because the boy was also smiling. He didn't have shoes on, and the amount of dirt on the boy's feet and ankles told Gouken he hadn't had shoes for a while.

  
"Don't you have parents to get you food?"

  
"No."

  
"Is there anyone to look after you?"

  
The boy shook his head, Gouken felt a sharp pang in his heart.

  
"What is your name boy?"

  
"Ryu."

  
"Do you have a last name?"

  
"I can't remember it anymore. Someone used to call me Hoshi but that isn't my real name."

  
"Oh…" Gouken's voice trailed off into the wind. He had been without a family so long he forgot his family name. Gouken and Robert paused to look out once more to the sky, then back to the boy.

  
"Ryu…a strong name. Well little Ryu, you can come home with me for a meal and a bed. You've relied on your own strength for far too long young one."

  
Robert was happy that the boy Ryu accept Gouken's offer I he has a feeling that the two will get along very well.

  
The little boy smiled, hope shined brightly in his eyes…so bright all Gouken could do was smile in return.

  
"Come along now, I bet you're starving. I'm hungry myself."

  
The candlelight danced around the outline of the little boy as he slept, the covers wrapped tight around his body as he slumbered in a ball. Gouken and Robert stood on the other side of the room, his back leaning against the wall. He was silent, watching and thinking.

  
"There's something special about that kid," Retsu walked into the room while the gravel in his slippers softly crunched. His eyes glanced at Gouken then shifted to the sleeping child known as Ryu.

  
Yes Retsu-san this Ryu will be a good fighter someday and he can be a good martial arts master in the near future said Robert.

  
"Yes. I can't imagine what his life has been like. He has been totally alone for…who knows." Gouken's face showed no expression as he spoke.

  
"Yet his heart isn't cold. He didn't try to steal from me and he didn't steal any food from the vendors. He was honest and asked."

  
Yeah this boy was not evil when I sensed his presence he didn't steal from me well I'm from America but still he wasn't afraid of me and was very friendly said Robert.

  
"Gouken…if everyone said no and he got hungry enough he would have stolen it." Retsu added.

  
"Well yeah I'm sure. But he didn't start stealing and I think that says something." The candle flames danced on Gouken's face as he paused to say his next sentence.

  
"I'm thinking about asking him to become my student." Gouken said it plainly, his eyes still focused on the bed.

  
"Are you sure?"

  
"Not yet. But I know who to see to make sure."

  
Retsu smiled, he knew whom Gouken was speaking of.

  
"This boy was in my dream. We were both swallowed up by shadows at the end I think." Gouken's voice sounded surprisingly childish, like someone reporting something so unbelievable he didn't expect to be believed.

  
"Interesting. Was there anyone else in the dream?"

  
Yeah Gouken-san this is a very weird dream are you sure this is true said Robert.

  
"No one else was in focus." Gouken's voice was in a flat whisper.

  
"I don't know what that means. I don't know what to tell you friend, except that it is getting late." Retsu crossed back over to the doorway to exit. He paused and turned his head to say one more thing.

  
"Gouken just don't walk the whole damn way there. These are modern times you know."

  
"Walking is more intimate."

  
"It is incredibly slow. You can think on a train or a bus."

  
As Retsu exited the room and eased into the shadows for his room Gouken reminded himself that Retsu would rather not say enough than talk too much. A minute later; as Gouken heard the quiet and singular creak of Retsu's door closing he wondered if his friend Retsu had always been that way or had acquired it through experience.

  
-Elsewhere in Japan

Goutetsu stood outside on the porch of his house, one hand resting on a beam and the other holding a cup of tea. The only giveaway that he was in his 60s was the long braided mostly white hair on his head. His body was in extraordinary condition and his face had a few gentle creases. The sun was just beginning to come up; he could hear the roosters in the distance and the chirping birds close to him. The morning dew was still on the grass, a clue that the air felt cool and fresh.

"Dear, are we expecting any visitors?" Goutetsu looked over his shoulder as he spoke.

"No…not that I know of….heehee." Sayaka had received the telegram days ago but she wanted to make a surprise out of it.

"Hmmm…" Goutetsu couldn't make out the figure approaching but his form looked like it was strong and flexible. A martial artist. Someone coming to learn from him…or something a little more demanding? The figure's stride carried no urgency.

  
Goutetsu set down his tea and began to slowly walk forward, his hands clasped behind him but still ready to fight if it came to it. His stride also carried no urgency.

  
The two men grew closer to one another and both began to lighten up.

"Master, I'm sorry I haven't been visiting you like I should. Please forgive me."

  
"Robert. You don't have to call me that. I'm not your master anymore, and you certainly are no one's student! Look at you! You've grown into quite a man. How long has it been?"

  
"three years mas-…Goutetsu." Robert caught himself but it was difficult. He still referred to Goutetsu as master in his mind, he had ever since he met him.

  
"Hm…I guess it's a habit. So what brings you here?"

  
"I have something on my mind. I wanted to consult you before I did anything."

  
"Ah. But before we get to business, how about making an old man happy?" Goutetsu smiled as he unbuttoned his shirt and rolled his sleeves up. Robert chuckled as he watched then began stretching himself.

  
"Let's head west."

  
"Ready? Don't hold back son." Goutetsu casually tossed away his shirt; he didn't want to get it too dirty. Sayaka had just done the wash yesterday. Robert mimicked his former master, hanging his discarded shirt on a tree branch.

  
"You can go all out on me too. I'm stronger now than when I left." Goutetsu noticed that the smirk Robert used to wear so naturally when he said anything related to his strength increasing was beginning to fade. It was now a quick flash of teeth before the face returned again to that of a slightly amused man.

  
"I'll soon see just how much stronger."

  
Bellemere studied the headstone, her eyes refusing to lend themselves to anything else. She was disappointed. She had traveled all this way to find and kill General Tracy and here he was already dead.

  
The man who killed his father and ripped his life to shreds was dead. But in a strange way Bellemere thought she should thank the general. If it wasn't for him Bellemere would have still been the frail child she was when Goutetsu took him in. Yet still Bellemere was disappointed. She wanted to show Tracy her strength; he wanted the old man to fear his power before he was rightfully cut down. Bellemere wanted to see the fear in Tracy's eyes as she muttered for her life; she wanted to remember it. The more Bellemere thought about it the more her disappointment turned to anger. It swelled inside her, making her clench his teeth and fists as he stared at the grave.

  
In a flash he lashed out, striking the tombstone and shattering it to pieces. He didn't wait for the cloud of dust to settle before he walked off…still disappointed.

  
"Is this your idea of fun?! Beating each other to pulps?! I've lost count of how many bones I had to reset between the both of you! Get off my table Robert you're done." Sayaka said with a tired voice as Robert leapt up to walk into the other room.

  
"Thanks again Sayaka. You're a lifesaver." Robert said with a wink as he left to join his former master.

  
"The boy Ryu…you already know you should take him as your student." Goutetsu was seated, relaxed back in his chair sipping on…of course tea.

  
"Yes, it is what my gut feeling is telling me. But what about the rule of two? Ryu would have no one beside him during his training…"

  
"Tradition is a guide Robert, not a jailer. The boy should be trained, you want to train him…" Goutetsu paused to slurp more tea. "So train him. Another student will probably come along later."

  
"Wow. This was easier than I thought."

  
"It always is."

  
"Not true. Your training was harder than anything I imagined."

  
Goutetsu erupted into a hearty laugh. He spilled the cup of tea in his right hand and slapped his knee with his left. Robert did not understand what Goutetsu found so funny but the sight of his former master laughing made him laugh.

  
"You even started out by throwing us in a river! Two little boys! We thought you were so mean afterwards."

  
"I was! And I was gentle when I should have been too."

  
"I agree. Thank you Goutetsu….for everything really. I don't know where I would have been if it weren't for you."

  
"I don't know where or who I would be if it were not for you two. To stay on the subject…have you heard from your brother?"

  
Robert paused, his eyes held a distant look in them.

  
"Not at all. I worry about him. He seemed to hold so much pain in his heart…"

  
"The pain motivated him. I'm sure he's fine. He's strong. You both are."

  
Sayaka appeared in the doorway, her smile had returned.

  
"Robert are you staying for dinner?"

  
"Um…I-"

  
"I'm sorry hun but he won't be. He'd better head home." Goutetsu turned to look at Robert, smiling brightly like a proud father.

  
"After all, he's got work to do."

  
Sidestory: Wildfires

  
\- Thailand, 

Thailand's famous heat paraded itself around the arena; not even a building standing up on just beams could chase it away. It didn't help that there was a crowd at least double the capacity present. They were everywhere. A sea of people on the floor, a crowd tightly packed outside and a mob scene on the upper level balcony. All of them came from near and far to watch the spectacle, and their eyes hadn't moved from the ring since the contest began.

  
As Dan sat on the shoulders of a watcher that knew whose son he was he couldn't stop wondering why his father had come out of retirement. He was happy his father was home all the time now. He was happy with all the attention that otherwise would have been devoted to training. Dan couldn't understand why his father kept going on about his 'last hurrah'. And what made this fighter known as Sagat so special?

  
Go Hibiki knew no one would understand why he chose to fight again after 5 years, but at least his trainers went along with it and pretended to. Go knew how old he was, he didn't need to be reminded of it anytime the fight was brought up. He also knew how young Anthony was, how he swept Thailand in a storm with his remarkable talent. How people were calling him the best that had ever been. Sagat was being titled the Prince of Muay Thai.

Everyone had to have known that kind of talk would not sit well with someone like Go Hibiki. Someone who after becoming the best defended his title more times than the average newscaster, fighter or promoter could correctly count. They had to have known; yet why were they so shocked when Go announced he was getting back in the ring just to fight Sagat?

  
Go hopped back to avoid a piston of a punch and then dashed in crouching to land a blow for himself. Go cocked back his fist but caught a driving knee that made the teeth in his mouth rattle. Go attempted to ignore it as he unleashed a series of elbow strikes to Sagat's chest, planning to finish it off with a reverse spinning elbow to the face. Sagat caught Go's arm and held it tight. Go stared into Sagat's eyes. The screaming mob was a blurry whisper in his peripheral; there was only his opponent's eyes. They held a fire Go was very familiar with. This Sagat...was something. Even Go had to admit it.

  
Not even 20; yet his lean and toned body was over 6 feet tall. His arms and legs had tremendous reach and the speed to capitalize on it. He was good, but not worthy to be an heir to the throne Go had sat on once. Not yet.

  
Sagat then viciously knocked Go in the center of his back, the driving force of Sagat's knee dislocating Go's shoulder and sending him bouncing off the ropes at the opposite side of the ring and to the mat. Go's manager leap up, ready to stop the fight. Go shot him a glare so fierce he froze and sat back down. Go struggled to his feet, one arm limp and straight and the other raised in a tense defensive position. What remained of the fire that once burned in Go's eyes was a smolder, but it still burned. Go turned over his shoulder and looked at his son. Dan's face was frozen in fear and anticipation. Go winked, turned back around and rocketed towards Sagat; jumping into the air with a flying knee.

  
Go's attack stopped suddenly as Sagat gripped Go's neck with one hand. Go's feet dangled at least a foot above the mat. Go could feel his strength draining from him. As if the force from the sudden jerk ruptured the reservoir of his spirit. He still had some left, he still had plenty left. Go smiled at Sagat, the old cocky smile he used to give doomed opponents. Go's knee was fast as lightning, stricking perfectly into Sagat's side. Sagat grunted and winced releasing his grip enough for Go to swat his limp outstretched arm and deliver another knee to the same spot. Sagat rocked backward, Go guessed he had one more good attack while the getting was good. He cocked his free arm back. Before Go could land the punch Sagat's punch connected to Go's face, dropping him in an instant.

  
Go could hear the crowd gasp as the side of his face smacked the canvas. Go had been a fool. Sagat's arms are longer than his. Go cursed his foolishness as flipped over on his back, propped his arm beneath him and rose to his feet. Sagat was in his corner, patiently waiting. How nice of him. Go hopped in place for a second and punched the air. He did not want to look at Dan. For now it would be best for everything else to fade back and away.

Sagat charged, his legs pounding the canvas in a gallop. Go's punch was swatted away, his elbow strike was caught in Sagat's left palm and Go was delivered an unguarded straight punch to the nose from Sagat's right hand. Go fell back in a daze. Sagat would not let him go, grabbing him by his limp arm and punching him in the gut. Go dropped to his knees, his forehead touching the canvas. His eyes looked glazed and distant. Sagat still gripped his useless arm. The crowd gasped.

  
Then Go shot his working arm forward and upward, two pointed fingers aiming for the fire Go desperately wanted to stamp out. Go felt Sagat's grip suddenly release and he felt himself crash to the floor. Sagat was screaming, doubled over with his hand over his eye, blooding oozing from the gaps in his fingers. Go knew Sagat would never see out of that eye again, and the large crowd was beginning to get the picture.

  
Go didn't bother to get up. He knew what was coming next. It was really how he always wanted it. Go Hibiki dreamed of dying in the ring because it was the only place where he had lived. Anywhere else he only existed, waiting for the next chance. The crowd was far away now; Go could not hear anything.

  
Sagat composed himself and charged, blood streaming down his young handsome face. He grabbed Go by his head and lifted him up. Then he began to savagely beat him. The crowd stared; the cheering had died and was now buried. The only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of Sagat tearing into the former champion. Go did not fight back, he was in another place. He let himself go limp and took the countless blows.

He eventually began to detect more broken bones and internal bleeding. He could feel his insides oozing, his body swelling with so much pain. Then he blacked out and drifted away, now content that he had passed the torch totally. Go Hibiki eventually drifted so far he could never return. Sagat wailed on Go Hibiki for 5 minutes after he was defeated, even then 20 men had to pull the enraged fighter off of the lifeless body that was once known as the undisputed champion. The crowd refused to utter a word; their eyes were still glued to the blood-splattered ring. Some were violently throwing up...others were sobbing.


	4. At Rest The New World warrior

Chapter XXI: Bygones

A group of young boys playing catch suddenly stopped and stared as a foreboding figure slowly walked down the dirt road in front of them. One boy didn't even notice as the ball smacked him in the face, he was too transfixed on the man in the worn karate uniform, with his cold expression and his long black ponytail blowing in the wind like a war banner.

"I think I know that lady." One of them said. He was holding the ball and did not want to throw it yet. He knew his friends would give him gruff and he'd rather argue with them while holding his ball than not.

"No you don't! What's his name?!"

"I don't know her like that, but I think I've heard of her. They say she's a demon…a demon of battle. She travels around looking for tough guys to beat them up. She thrashed an entire dojo a couple towns over a few days ago. She must be strong to take an entire school by herself…" The boy now tossed the ball to the right of him.

"My brother knows karate! Why doesn't this demon fight him? I should go get him-"

"Don't bother. They say he only fights strong opponents."

"Hey shut up. Ok he's gone now let's get back to the game. I got to be home by dinner…'or else'" the boy imitated his mother's voice.

Goutetsu had received the telegram a week ago. It was a formal challenge left unsigned. Things like this no longer shook him. He had been through it too often. Either his opponent would show up or not. He'd either win or lose. But as Goutetsu thought these thoughts he knew he was oversimplifying. One thing jumped out at him…that is very possible…very likely for someone of his breed to win and lose at the same time in the same battle. But Goutetsu could easily jump back to simplification. 

Either his opponent was stronger than him or he (or she) wasn't. But still this one felt different, so he told Sayaka about it. In a roundabout way. He talked hypothetically about his death, about how if it happened Sayaka would turn the compound into an orphanage. That made Goutetsu smile. Even though Goutetsu didn't exactly outright say he might die today to his wife he thought she got the message.

Goutetsu sipped tea in the kitchen as his other hand fumbled with the old bead necklace his master had given him. Thoughts of the past didn't leave him with regret, only the happiness of nostalgia. Once Goutetsu was satisfied with the tea he put his necklace back on and walked to the door.

"Sayaka!"

"Yes dear?"

"I'll always love you."

"The feeling is mutual you senile old man."

Goutetsu walked out of the door and began to stroll down the beaten path to the woods. He felt like some meditation. Then his eye caught a figure down the road. He wore the clothes of a fighter.

Retsu opened the door, wondering what caused the weak knock. He found a little boy staring back at him. His hair was a dark brown and a little too long. He had a stern face for an adult, nevermind a child.

"I'm here to speak with Master Robert."

"Any business with Robert you can tell me. My name is Retsu."

"Well Retsu sir…my name is Dan Hibiki. I am the son of Go Hibiki. I wish to train here and become strong."

"Oh! Well…what a strange day for us. Two new students within a couple of hours! I would also be your possible master."

"Yes possible master Retsu."

"Ha! You're a funny one. But Dan Robert is not here right now. Please leave an essay on why you should become a student here. You know, for us to look over later." Retsu wanted to mess with the kid a little.

"Um..yes of course! Can I bring the essay back tomorrow?"

"Take longer than that to write the essay! What do you think this is? Put more than one day of thought into-"

"But I've thought about becoming a student here longer than a day! I've-"

Retsu had always wondered about seeing just how badly these prospective students wanted to be trained, and why they wanted to be trained. He felt there needed to be some sort of test and that Robert was a little too accepting. Afterall…you didn't just want anybody.

"And what makes you think it is so easy to become a student here? Just because you are the son of Go Hibiki?"

"I just wanted to see-" Retsu was satisfied with this kid so far. He didn't need to mess with him anymore.

"Come back tomorrow and we'll see. Same time. No promises though Dan Hibiki."

"Bellemere; what brings you back here?" Goutetsu knew the answer to his question; he was just anticipating his former student's response.

"I have come to challenge you Goutetsu. To a fight without limits. I must know who is the absolute strongest between us."

Goutetsu nodded as he stroked his beard.

"An ultimate contest ever since Gouki defeated me and left me injured. In the event of your death where would you like to be buried?" Goutetsu stated the question so effortlessly it sounded like he was talking about a mid day chore.

"It does not matter."

"Fine, Sayaka will take care of me if I perish."

A breeze began to lightly blow, playing with Goutetsu's long solitary braid and leaves on the ground. It was a dull sky, the sun felt far away and hidden. The clouds were an formless, shapeless grey ocean inching along the horizon. He heard the caw of a raven in the distance.

"So, shall we get started?" Goutetsu smiled as he unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his bare chest. It was too cold to take the shirt off completely. Goutetsu drew a deep breath as he cracked his knuckles; staring at Bellemere with a concentrated gaze. He let the air out of his lungs and opened his mouth to speak.

"Feel free to attack me, I am ready."

Bellemere instantly obliged. Throwing a quick punch that Goutetsu effortlessly slapped away, followed by a flurry of punches that Goutetsu easily avoided by sharp turns or his body and head. A hop backward allow Goutetsu to dodge a sweeping horizontal chop and Goutetsu capitalized on the opportunity. A simple and direct straight punch to the face that made Bellemere stagger.

"You're going to have to fight harder than that if you plan on besting me." Goutetsu said coldly. Bellemere growled as she shot out a high side-kick that Goutetsu sprang backward to avoid. Before Goutetsu could regain his footing Bellemere was upon him; kicking and punching while chasing her former master deeper into the woods. Little skirmishes. Bellemere would meet Goutetsu, they would exchange a few attacks then Goutetsu would spring backwards and Bellemere would rush after him. Bellemere knew she was being lead somewhere but did not care. Let the old man have his fun.

Tall, old trees now surrounded the two fighters as Bellemere hacked furiously at Goutetsu to no result. Goutetsu suddenly stopped bouncing backward, deflected a roundhouse and viciously punched Bellemere in the chest, knocking her off the ground and crashing into a tree. The force shook leaves from the ancient branches, the free leaves floating around Bellemere's slumped body, her back against the base of the trunk.

"You're not strong enough yet Bellemere. Perhaps you should just walk away to train. To get stronger to fight another day."

Bellemere chuckled as he lifted her head; an odd smile on her face.

"You know nothing of my strength Goutetsu. I am not the girl that left your care years ago. The longer we fight, the closer you are to your defeat."  
Goutetsu closed his eyes as the sneer from his reckless youth showed itself.

"Then get up and prove it. Because right now I think you are all talk."

As if he were more than human, Bellemere rocketed forward and punched Goutetsu square in the jaw, rocking his head backward and making him stagger a few steps. Goutetsu recovered in a flash to catch Bellemere's wrist. Bellemere pulled back the outstretched limb and attacked with a spinning back kick that Goutetsu avoided. Before Goutetsu could respond a gou-hadoken burrowed into his chest, dragging his body several feet but still he stood. Bellemere sprang high into the air and fired off another gou-hadoken. Goutetsu swatted away the ki blast, it smashing into a nearby tree, destroying the base of the trunk.

Before the remains of the tree could crash to the ground Goutetsu and Bellemere were trading blows again, their faces blank. Bellemere attempted a vicious roundhouse, Goutetsu ducked the kick and Bellemere's attack tore off a piece of a trunk.

Goutetsu responded with a gou-shoryuken that sent Bellemere sailing into the air; then crashing to the ground with a hard thud. Goutetsu straightened his posture and folded his arms as his once student groaned to her feet.

"Bellemere. Why did you challenge me? You are strong, but not strong enough."

"I came here to kill you or die trying Goutetsu. You…and what you represent are old relics of our art that need to be smashed and swept away."

"And what have you contributed to Ansatsuken Bellemere? What have you added to our style that renders me obsolete?"

"I will show you. I will show you what you kept from me, hid from me the same you did with Bellemere! The secret to great power." Bellemere clenched her fists as he shouted. Bellemere began to turn inward, letting her anger boil. She had found Satsui No Hado for herself and he believed it to be the method to become stronger. She opened the gates and funneled every thought of malice, pain and humiliation into her desire for strength; and it began to bring his uninhibited power to the forefront.

Goutetsu noticed a visible purple aura surround Bellemere, it seemed to breathe the way it moved; it was as if Bellemere's anger and will for power had possessed her body.

"Satsui no hado…that is your secret? Becoming a beserker?! I'm insulted. Bellemere you are a spolied brat. Your husband Robert was always stronger than you and it drove you insane. You could never be satisfied with your own power, always comparing yourself to others. Bellemere you are a fool, I will do what I can to show you how weak you truly are." Goutetsu's facial expression was now hard as stone as he took stance.

"Goutetsu! I AM stronger than you! I will break you and him! I will show you both!"

Bellemere rocketed forward with a fire burning in his eyes. She drop-kicked Goutetsu into a tree. Before Goutetsu could regain his wits Bellemere was right in front of him, punching him across his head, manning his head rock from side to side. In between an attack Goutetsu delivered a fierce uppercut followed by a gou-shoryuken. Bellemere flew back but Goutetsu caught up with her to bury her fist into Bellemere's chest; sending her sailing even farther. Goutetsu dashed after Bellemere to finally strike with a brutal flying kick that spiked Bellemere to the ground in a cloud of dust.

Bellemere did not move as Goutetsu walked over to her. He did not move as Goutetsu folded his arms 6 feet away from him. Goutetsu looked up at the sky again. This time he could see the sun, and it looked like just a yellow ball.

Goutetsu launched a gou-hadoken at the still Bellemere. Bellemere leapt to one knee and rolled out of the way. As the ki ball struck a tree trunk Bellemere nailed Goutetsu with a gou shoryuken. Goutetsu composed himself in the air and landed on his feet 10 feet away from Bellemere.

"You are stronger than when you left. But you are a fool to think you were that much stronger." Goutetsu spat on the ground, then noted to himself that there was still more blood in his mouth. He swallowed it.

"Almost everything. But as you said once…..our art is an evolving art." The purple aura around Bellemere was now a thin glow off her flesh. Goutetsu ran up to Bellemere and faked a punch with his left hand. As Goutestu went to to punch with his right he ate an elbowstrike that dropped him to his knee. On one knee Goutetsu blocked a kick attempt and guarded against a gou hadoken that made him stumble backwards after it connected. 

Bellemere let Goutetsu stand to her feet. Bellemere let Goutetsu compose himself and return to stance. Then she pounced again, and straight punch that Goutetsu slapped away was followed by a jumping front kick that connected. Goutetsu then slapped away two more front kicks, deflected 5 more punches and avoided another horizontal chop to be caught by the spinning elbow that made made his arms go limp. Bellemere fired another gou hadoken; this one was so powerful all the purple flash from the attack made hiershield her own eyes. 

She jumped backward and stood there. She knew parts of her ached in pain but at the moment it did not register to her as significant. The throbbing she only found annoying.

Out of the trees shot a white gou-hadoken, Bellemere went to slap it away but it overpowered her in an instant. It slammed into her body in a brilliant flash and then Bellemere was on the ground 15 feet back. Bellemere at once calmly rose to her feet. She took her stance.

Goutetsu rocketed forward. Bellemere clenched his fists and did not move, waiting for him. Goutetsu stopped a couple inches from Bellemere and ducked under a roundhouse kick. Goutetsu dodged a straight punch and punched Bellemere once across the jaw and delivered three more punches to her body while Bellemere staggered. Goutetsu charged to continue but Bellemere recovered to lash out with a sidekick. Goutetsu caught her leg with both hands and threw her to the ground a few feet away. Bellemere launched a gou hadoken from the ground, it was a fast and desperate purple fireball that kicked up dust as it sped towards Goutetsu. Goutetsu launched a white ball of ki himself that shattered Bellemere's ki attack and Goutetsu's within a foot of Goutetsu's body.

'This will end soon.' Goutetsu thought as Bellemere charged at him. When they met they began fighting furiously, exchanging blows like berserkers. Goutetsu ignored the pain from blows inflicted on him and Bellemere just did not feel them enough. Bellemere elbowed Goutetsu across the face, knocking his back against a tree trunk. Bellemere wasted no time, pouncing on Goutetsu punching feverishly while Goutetsu held up a resilient guard stance. There would be the perfect moment to counteract; Goutetsu knew he would see it when it presented itself. As Bellemere attacked the tree trunk behind Goutetsu began to splinter and crack. Disturbed leaves rained down upon the both of them.

As Bellemere stepped back to charge a powerful ki attack Goutetsu took his opportunity, the heel of his foot knocking Bellemere's chin and body upward. A well placed jumping high kick. As Bellemere fell Goutetsu fired a gou hadoken that slammed into Bellemere's falling body with tremendous force, knocking her through the last wall of trees. Bellemere flew totally out of the woods and she came crashing down into a field clearing. Goutetsu wiped blood from his mouth as he walked over to Bellemere's currently motionless body.

He stood over his former student, his usually warm face devoid of emotion and his hands behind his back.

"Rise to your feet."

Bellemere attempted a sweep but Goutetsu casually avoided it. Bellemere leapt up and attempted a punch but Goutetsu caught her fist and punched her so hard in the face it would have shattered the average women's jaw. Bellemere fell to one knee, her head low spitting blood.

"You're only helping me…"

Bellemere looked at Goutetsu, smiling with blood oozing through his teeth. Bellemere shot up and kneed Goutetsu in the ribs; breaking one. Goutetsu elbowed Bellemere in the temple and jumped back, holding her side with the opposite arm. Bellemere didn't chase after him, only straightened her posture and folded her arms, hierface painted in anticipation. Her eyes wide and wild. The aura around Bellemere began to change; it was like purple mist rose from her body.

Goutetsu slowly shifted back into fighting stance, her face staunch.

"Well Bellemere…go ahead and show me."

A second later both men and women sprang into the air and clashed with each other; exchanging blows for a fraction of a second before landing on the ground. Bellemere did not waste time; he lunged for Goutetsu the moment the ball of her foot touched the grass. For both fighters time began to expand. Bellemere cocked back her fist and fired off a straight punch that Goutetsu defended against by putting his forearms close to his chest in the shape of an 'x'. Goutetsu tried a quick roundhouse but Bellemere caught his leg and began to flip him.

A hard chop to Bellemere's shoulder foiled the attempt and in response Goutetsu received a backfist across the face. Bellemere then tried a gou hadoken at brutally close range. With a well placed kick to Bellemere's outstretched arms the ki blast's trajectory was thrown off, it whizzed past the target and into the woods behind them both. Goutetsu then grabbed Bellemere by her arm and flipped her forcefully away. Bellemere did a quick recovery in mid-air and landed on her feet. The entire exchange lasted only 4 seconds.

Bellemere suddenly turned and dashed forward, running as if she knew where she was going. Goutetsu followed, firing gou hadokens along the way but missing everytime. They ran for several minutes until Bellemere suddenly stopped and turned back around to fire a gou hadoken of her own. Goutetsu slapped the attack away without breaking his sprint so he could jump up and drop kick Bellemere so hard she flew 30 feet back before slamming against a rock wall.

As Bellemere got up her mind caught hold of something: the sound of rushing water.

"You remember this place. It is where you and your brother first learned how to properly meditate." Goutetsu's voice had a hint of his old warmth to it.

"Fitting that I prove my superiority to you here." Bellemere said emotionally.

Goutetsu looked down at the hand that deflected Bellemere's ki. It throbbed and burned. Bellemere had changed. Her blows felt like her fists and feet were coated in acid. She was different now. She was a vessel for the killing intent and it flowed though her like an endless steady stream. Goutetsu wondered if perhaps Bellemere had mastered the mode of being, seeing as how she is able to stay in it for so long without burning out. Her ki had a deep purple color to it and it rose from her body like smoke from a bonfire or like saliva dripping from a hungry predator's open jaws.

Goutetsu remembered that Robert's ki now had a blue hue to it. Robert too had changed. He had conquered satsui no hado within himself while Bellemere embraced it. He knew in his heart one day the couple would clash violently.

But for now Goutetsu was staring at Bellemere, and he was wondering just how much longer this fight would last. Goutetsu silenced his inner thoughts by drawing in a deep breath. He cleared his mind and let the air out. He then charged, a moderate jog to conserve strength towards his opponent. Bellemere dashed forward, water splashing around her as his footsteps stabbed though the ankle high water.

Bellemere stopped bothering to guard against her opponent's attacks and barely made an effort to avoid them now. She felt no pain from them; her only mission was to draw more of his former master's blood. Goutetsu was putting everything he had into the fight but for every blow he connected to Bellemere he received five. This continued for minutes until Bellemere landed a punch to Goutetsu's stomach that jolted Goutetsu's whole body and made him scream in blood.

A second later an elbow crashed down unto the top of Goutetsu's head that made him collapse into the water face first. Bellemere picked up Goutetsu's limp body and stared at it, focusing her power for a technique she had been waiting to perform for too long in her mind.

"The famed shun goku shatsu…heh…it won't work on me son…" Goutetsu's voice was weak, a pained whisper.

Bellemere paused, her grip on Goutetsu's wet shirt slackened.

"My conscience is clear of guilt…of shame…fear. It won't work on me…I have no demons you can turn against me…so stop with the parlor tricks and kill me like a man!"

Goutetsu's voice gained strength again as he broke Bellemere's hold on him and knocked him away with a messatsu gou hado. Bellemere sailed backwards and crashed into the water as Goutetsu returned to his feet. The old master turned his back on his opponent as he began to limp away, choosing the place for his last stand.

A few minutes away he was there. A clearing with a sheer cliff just 15 feet away. It was his favorite place in the whole world. Goutetsu looked out at the sun and sky for a brief moment before turning around to find Bellemere 10 feet away from him.

"It has been a good fight Bellemere. You are very strong. But you've never been a weakling. It is such a shame you cannot see that." Goutetsu smiled.

"Just promise me that you will pass down what you know someday. That is all I wish. I do not mind dying as long as it is in battle with a worthy adversary and the teachings of our great art continue. Now…" Goutetsu spat blood on the ground and slid into fighting stance one last time.  
"Let us finish."

Goutetsu's blows were few but the strongest Bellemere had ever felt. Bellemere knew Goutetsu wanted to make her remember how her fists felt. Bellemere felt honored to engage in this last battle and she fought like it. Clean, precise devastating attacks that prepared Goutetsu for the great beyond. The two fought like this for only a few moments, edging closer to the cliff. Finally Bellemere knocked Goutetsu to his knees and Goutetsu did not rise to his feet again.

Goutetsu slowly reached for the bead necklace on him and tossed it to the ground before Bellemere.

"It is done. You have proved yourself. Now...do it."

Bellemere hesitated.

"DO IT!"

A powerful messatsu gou hado erupted from Bellemere's palms and slammed into Goutetsu, engulfing him in purple flame. The ball of purple flame leapt off the edge of the cliff and tumbled down until it could no longer be seen. The cliff was still as Bellemere stood in silence, unable to formulate thoughts or words. She silently picked up the worn and bloody bead necklace and placed it over his head. A condor sailed above him in the deep grey sky.

"Farewell…."

Chapter XXII: At Rest

(Many Years Later)

When Ryu received the mail with the Heartily Family logo on the envelope he tossed it aside, dismissing it as unimportant. A couple days later Robert found it and opened it. He immediately walked into the dining room were Robert was enjoying some roasted chicken.

"Ryu did you make a promise to train this businessman from America's daughter?"

"What businessman from America?" Ryu was still staring at his food as he spoke, holding a piece of chicken just a couple of inches from his mouth.

"Melissa Anne Heartily of the Heartily Family!" Sometimes Robert was sure Ryu played dumb. It made it easier for Robert to be annoyed. This was one of those particular instances.

"Heartily? Melissa….he never told me he was a businessman! But I met him when he was still in university though-" Ryu paused to shovel more food into his mouth.

"So I take it you met him a while ago. In Japan?"

"Yeah. He was vacationing. How did he find out where I am?"

"He's rich. He says he's thinking about sending his daughter to you. He wants her to have discipline and focus. Here's the letter."

Ryu regrettably put his food down to read the message. Mr. Heartily didn't seem all the way committed to sending his daughter across the ocean to be trained. But he had remembered an offhand and intoxicated promise now clear in Robert's mind. Back in a smoky ex-boomtown club when Kenny Masters said:

"Ryu you're strong let me tell you. I want my future daughter to be trained by you. Even if I have to send him to Japan! I don't want my little girl to be a wimp. No sir."

Ryu wrote Mr. Heartily a letter back stating that if he was unsure about sending Melissa to be trained, wait on it another year or so.

"Ryu I have some bad news." Robert stepped through the doorway to the kitchen and stood. He was wringing his hands and searching Ryu's face. Ryu was seated at the table having lunch. Jordan had finished his lunch and was outside.

"Bellemere's parents are dead."

"How…did you-"

"Everyone else I care about is already here. From the way you approached me I could tell it was something serious."

"Well, I'm almost relieved." Robert exhaled deeply. Ryu manage a weak smile.

"They was found deep in the woods, they was pretty beaten up and not from the fall off the cliff." Robert wondered if they was being to blunt with the details just after he finished speaking.

"So they was in a fight. Against someone skilled." Ryu took a sip of his tea and tapped the table with his fingers. He was pretending to take this well excellently.

"You think it was Bellemere?" Robert stated his question carefully and slowly, in all the years he had known Gouken and his lovely wife. Gouken would sometimes go on long monologes about Bellemere, reminiscing and sometimes complaining. But those times were rare, only a few times a year. When Gouken was not venting about Bellemere he did not mention him at all.

"I'm pretty sure it was my wife. Bellemere…I haven't seen her in so long. I fear what he has become left to herself."

"We should go find her and talk with him. Fight her if it comes to it. She might have murdered your master…"

Ryu sat his tea down and stood up straight.

"First, Goutetsu was no fool. Those kinds of people just don't die by happenstance. He let it get that far and accepted the consequences; it was no murder. I guess he felt his job was done. I just wish he told me before…" Gouken trailed off as he sat back down. His façade of calmness was beginning to unravel. His eyes quivered as he took another sip of tea.

"It that how we are supposed to die? It just doesn't seem…"

"Fair?" Robert couldn't think of a better word than that.

"That word doesn't quite fit. I mean life isn't fair….but who decides when it is 'kill or be killed' and when it is just a match? Do we have to kill each other?" Ryu stared at the floor and let his cup of tea sit on the table, his hands in his lap.

"I don't know Ryu. But I know it is the fighters in the fight that decide just what is at stake. Some realize completely what they are betting…and others do not." Robert did not know what else to say but was satisfied in his answer. He stroked his bald head and looked out the window.

"Yes…..at least Goutetsu knew. I don't know about Bellemere."

"What are you going to do about Bellemere? Will you challenge-"

"We have students to train, we can't waste time chasing Bellemere around Robert. If she wants you, she will find you. If she wants me, he will find me. I am not hiding and we will go from there." Ryu's voice had regained some confidence and stability.

"We only have one student so far Ryu."

"Tell Alice McPherson she's hired. Melissa will be here in time also. This summer."

"So you've decided."

Her hands still smelled of blood. Even now, well after the battle had ended. How long had it been since the battle? It had been close to a week since then.

Bellemere had defeated her master. A duel that Bellemere emerged the victor. Bellemere felt like she was missing an emotion concerning the fight. Shouldn't she feel like she had achieved something? Instead she was focused on what was next. What more was there to be done? Which direction to go in next?

Bellemere sat cross-legged on a hill, overlooking a barley field.

How could she get stronger?

"Alice."

"Yes Master Robert?"

On this sunny day such strong winds seemed slightly out of place. It made the grass sway in rhythm to the branches and leaves on the trees. Alice and Robert stood amongst all this, warming up. Jordan and Ryu were off somewhere training.

"I'm different than Ryu. He'd probably just start you off learning his punches and kicks. Or maybe throw you into a river." Robert chuckled, Alice fought an urge to shiver.  
"Your first lesson from me will be from combat. I want you to develop good instincts, so I will break you down a bit. Then Ryu and I will build you back up. Do you know how to fight Alice Mcpherson?"

"I know a little. My father-"

"I know about your father. So you know a little Muay Thai huh?" Robert paced in a circle while rubbing his neck with his left hand, his right arm bent and his right hand on his waist.

"Well give me everything, anything you have. After all you're just a kid."

Robert's shirt dropped to the ground in such a way that it looked beautiful, focused and routine. Alice swallowed hard and brought her clenched fists up to just below his eyes.

Robert began to crack his feet and stretch.

"Let's get started."

The wind weakly swept around both of them.

"Alright young lad. Your father wants me to train you and I agreed of course. From now on you will refer to me as master, or teacher, or sensei or Mr. Ryu or whatever. Understand Melissa?"

"Yes Mister Ryu-…master! Thank you for accepting me as your student!" Melissa's eyes were happy as she smiled. Her hair was a red colored mop that was nearing the point of obscuring her vision. Her hair stopped with his ears. She had finished unpacking a few hours ago and after the tour, after the meal and a change of clothes here she was.

She wore a red gi. Ryu's particular outfit used to be white years ago but was now an even cream. When Melissa looked at Ryu in her gi she wanted to tear the sleeves off of her own. But Melissa resolved to herself that it could wait until she had bigger muscles.

"It isn't a problem. I see a lot of potential in you. Now don't worry the training will start later. You can go play. In fact I want you to meet your new friend I've been talking about. His name is Jordan Vermilion. He's off practicing I'm sure."

Melissa ran off as soon as Ryu finished his sentence. A few minutes later he found the young boy in a white gi attempting to meditate. Jordan sat on the ground in the shade of a large boulder. The boulder was strange, there were no more around the gathering of trees and bushes as far as Melissa or Jordan could see. As Melissa approached the boulder she looked up and around, and was reminded how much she loved the way a forest plays with the sun's light.

"Hey! So you're Jordan?"

The boy opened one eye and looked at the young girl with red hair. Melissa didn't lean over and Jordan did not rise.

"Yes."

"My name is Melissa Anne Heartily. I hope you're humble because if you're not its going to be a rough time adjusting to always being in second place to me."  
Jordan closed his eye and went back to meditating.

"Form is very important. You have to have good form with your attacks and defenses and practice with correct form in mind. Get your body used to the most effective method. So at a moment's notice…"

Ryu suddenly sprang high into the air, fired a blue hadoken into the distance, did some quick punches and kicks in mid-air and landed perfectly back on the ground.  
"At a moment's notice you are ready. Not ready to be beaten into a pulp but ready to be effective."

The sun was high in the sky, drawing sweat from human skin and making dogs lazy. On a day like this water tastes extraordinarily good and a late nap was treasured. Especially for the three students standing side by side deep in instruction from Ryu.

Jordan wondered why he wasn't worried, anxious or exhausted. He was in heaven. He was learning how to become a fighter, a disciple, and more of a complete person hopefully. He felt satisfied in what he was currently doing, listening to his teacher.

Melissa felt an essence of goodness. She felt he was on his way to something worth working hard for. She wondered if all of Master Gouken's speeches were this good.

Alice's eyes were shimmering with amazement, her mouth half open and half cocked in a sneer. She wondered why Robert has yet to throw balls of energy.

"Let me ask you young ones something."

The students' thoughts immediately ceased and all that remained was attentive anticipation.

"What do you three think is the ultimate achievement for a martial artist?"

"When you have the strength and skill to defeat any opponent that challenges you." Said Melissa, grinning with and for her answer.

"Is that all Melissa?"

"I believe so Master Ryu."

Ryu still wasn't quite used to being called 'master' but he figured with time he could get comfortable with the title.

"Let me tell you why your answer is dangerous first."

Melissa winced on the inside, expecting to get scolded.

"Power is not just evident when it is used against enemies. Remember this, the truly powerful do not need to demonstrate their strength. People already know."

"Also, it is foolish to think you can defeat all challengers. There will always be someone that can defeat you. Whether by pure strength or other means. To aspire to be say…'the strongest person in the world' is dangerous because a lust for power can consume you. It can consume because you are validating yourself against others. 

Are you following me boys?"

They both nodded simultaneously. Ryu stroked his facial hair.

"And if you only determine your worth against others you will be hard pressed to be at peace. Wow, I sound like my master. Anyway, the best goal you can set is to be the best you can be for yourself and no one else."

"What about protecting things you care about Master? Protecting people…weaker than you. People that need help against…I don't know. Bad guys." Jordan's eyes drifted towards the surroundings as he trailed off, but once he was finished his gaze shifted back to Ryu for his response. He found Ryu grinning.

"That is also a great one! Wanting to be powerful to be better prepared to protect….that is an excellent answer. I take back one thing I said earlier. I really can't say what is the best goal. There are so many different good ones."

"How do you know which one is a good one and which one is a bad one?!' Alice suddenly blurted out. She quickly covered her mouth out of reflex.

"Wisdom Alice McPherson." Gouken figured he probably sounded vague to Dan, but the answer would do.

"Master..I don't mean to be rude-"

"Melissa go on. We'll all know if you're being rude."

"Ok…but isn't competition fuel for improvement? I mean…with a strong rivalry don't both sides have more of a reason to get better?"

"In most cases yes. Just one needs to be careful to keep the rivalry healthy. Anyway what was I talking about?" Ryu scratched his back while he absent mindlessly looked up at the sky.

"The ultimate goal of a martial artist master."

"Thank you. The ultimate goal for any martial artist is to one day never have to fight bloody battles filled with malice. To stop killing and destroying and instead inspire and create. That is the highest level I think. It is the highest level for me. But you won't get there until you're an old man, if you get there at all. But isn't it worth striving for?" Ryu smiled to himself and for his students. The students nodded.

"Alright I'm done talking for now. I'm going back home. Dan come with me, Robert would like to practice with you one more time today."

Ryu started walking back towards the house, with Alice trailing behind him. Jordan and Melissa stood unmoving.

Melissa leaned in to whisper to Jordan:

"The ultimate goal for a fighter is to not fight?! Do you believe that mumbo jumbo?!"

"Yes, I think I do." Jordan smiled a quiet smile. Melissa shot him a funny look.

"Do you want to practice movements?"

"Yes."

"Like you're ever going to use them with that attitude."

Once Jordan and Melissa walked through the front door hours later they began to feel more at ease. The table was set, everyone's food was on a plate with a cup of green tea beside it.

"Thank Robert for cooking." Ryu said from his seat. Alice then emerged from a back room, slightly limping and holding a bloody ball of napkins to her nose, looking tired and slightly angry.

"What happened to Alice?" Melissa asked.

"She sparred with me. She did very well. She's tough, she did not give up." Said Robert as he sat down.

"Maybe she should have!" Melissa pantomimed a club drummer's joke rim shot.

"Yeah yeah. Give me a couple of days and you'll be looking like I am now." Alice murmured with her napkin pile under her nose.

"Kids. You've got a little before sundown to do whatever you want. But when the sky starts to turn a deep orange come find me." Jordan never wore a watch.

"Um…what time would that be about master?" Melissa couldn't imagine being as old as Ryu was and still barely acquainted with the always present clock.

"Let's say 7:45." Robert added then picked up his cup of tea and comfortable exited the kitchen.

Bellemere wandered around the alien landscape, curious and satisfied. She happened upon it when her small boat went off course hours ago, and something told her to get out and investigate.

The ground looked like it had always known struggle and upheaval. There were patches where grass fought and succeeded to a degree of a good space where a team of men could all lay down and be comfortable.

The other areas of ground had small, bumblebee sized gravel that was loose the first inch, but underneath was firm and eternal. A greater part of the island was littered with sculptures and carvings. Some appeared to be gravestones, other religious and yet more that Bellemere could not decipher any idea what they were for, did or who made them. The entire island felt slightly colder to the senses than the average piece of land. And the fact that Bellemere had seen no marks of recent human activity and very little animal life seemed to confirm his suspicions.

On higher elevation the ground was craggy and rough. Some pebbles had edges so sharp they could draw blood. This island was untamable.

Bellemere felt like this environment suited him. His ever ready reflexes relaxed here and the rolling boiling of his spirit slackened to a simmer. Yet he didn't feel weaker, actually he felt like could be a better fighter here, like a relaxed Bellemere could easily channel most of his strength with little more than a thought.  
This island would suit him well. This island of shadows, elusive and foreboding…Goutentou island….would be home.

Sayaka knew already when she was told, and she did what she had to do. She identified the body, had a nice funeral and buried him on a nice spot with a dignified headstone that read (beside the obvious) 'at rest'. She thinks he would have liked it.

Next she opened her orphanage that also became a bed and breakfast. Sayaka was happy when others were happy, and she dealt with everyone with a genuine interest and love. She always thought of Goutetsu, but not with sadness. She thought of the memories with fondness, she thought of Goutetsu and would smile. She was confident Goutetsu was happy and somehow they would cross paths again. Friends and loved ones always do.

Chapter XXIII: Oyaji

Once again we move forward a handful of seasons. They can move quickly and effortlessly if one is in a secure and comfortable position, if one is at least partially content with life. Such are the feelings of the three students and their two teachers. Years have passed, and now we find Jordan at 15, Melissa at 16 and Alice at 15. Ryu is 41 and Bellemere 65. Robert is 64.

The final match of the tournament; Jordan was proud that he had made it this far. Ryu didn't seem surprised. Now winning the entire competition seemed possible.

Jordan fought by the book in this decent sized tournament, approaching each fight as a series of actions that either determined victory or defeat. He struck accurate and efficient blows; but of course not everything went exactly as Jordan planned, it was still combat. He caught elbows to the head and kicks in the chest so deep they burned not with pain, but with an overwhelming numbness. But nothing defeated him yet. Now he stood on the brink of significant victory.

The tournament was invite only, underground and you only got in if you knew what was going on. It took the organizers some convincing to let Jordan even enter, they feared for the young man's safety.

The two last fighters stood in the center of a garden. The garden was a part of an old compound built for a noble family, but now belonging to organized crime as a place to host events like these as discreetly as possible. The night sky was in full bloom but the crowd was still around; only by now the sake had made the spectators rowdy, slightly reckless and most of all entranced by the fights.

Jordan's opponent had very little steam left. Every time he was knocked down he came to his feet slower than the previous time. His stance had grown sloppy and his eyes were drained. Some of the spectators had labeled him a fool who didn't know when to quit and others saw a glimpse of the determined, fearless but disadvantaged warrior that is praised across cultures and history. Sometimes even when they end up losing.

Jordan saw one last, well placed blow, one that would end the match for certain and little else. Jordan did not want to injure him, only to defeat him.

Yen notes sailed through the air as last minute bets flew from the mouths of the mob. Something was going to happen soon, but for now neither fighter engaged one another.

"Come on! You're not statues! Fight already!" One man shouted, waving a slip of paper in the air.

Jordan watched as his opponent steeled himself, mustered some last bits of strength for the last round. Jordan already knew what to do; he had a plan. A simple kick to the chest would drop him. His kick would easily break the weak guard. With that, Jordan's final opponent would fall.

Jordan watched in stance as his opponent began to sag to the side, but it was only for a fraction of a second, enough to spring toward Jordan in a last burst of adrenaline.

His opponent was faster than usual, enough to close the optimum distance of a front kick before Jordan could notice. Jordan then caught a fist to the face strong enough to make him crazily stroll backward. Jordan tasted fresh blood in his mouth, the mix of metal and salt that conjured a handful of feelings.

Jordan stared at his opponent's face. He barely stood, his torso hunched over and his mouth hung loose. But his fists stood defiant of the rest of his body, clenched tight. Jordan focused into his opponent's fierce eyes, and in a flash they became a mirror. He saw himself. Jordan realized that his opponent was giving everything he had, pulling from the corners of his spirit and body just to keep fighting. The same thing Jordan would do in the situation.

The match ended softly but quickly, with a few skirmishes followed by Jordan's opponent crashing to the ground from a wobbly fighting stance and not returning to his feet. While Jordan was declared the winner his mind drifted elsewhere. Jordan could tell he had had just grown. Jordan felt like he had just caught himself learning. From that moment on Jordan's love for the fight grew in scope and density.

Jordan now had a new level of respect for all fighters, and for combat in general. The elaborate Darwinian dance, the fight would go on forever, and Jordan wanted to spend as much time as he could, to be strong enough…worthy enough to commune with such elementary tests of the spirit and body. He no longer wanted to be the best and he no longer feared being the worst. He felt there was so much else that mattered more.

The cicadas, crickets and other creatures of the woods always seemed to make the perfect background music. It relaxed Ryu as he sat on the porch with his old friend Robert. Drinking, talking and enjoying the night.

"They've all grown in so many ways, our students."

"Yes. Jordan showed much promise even when he first arrived. We both could see it and that is rare. You seem to see limitless potential in everyone."

"Well, really doesn't everyone have limitless potential?"

"Yeah, but some people have more potential than others realistically. Some people are just stronger than others. Wait-" Robert paused abruptly, as if he just understood that a joke was being played on him.

"Remind me why we always seem to talk about the same subjects through the years?"

"Because we discuss a lot of things, we are going to repeat ourselves eventually."

"I don't want to just ease into senility Ryu."

"Man…Master Ryu is kinda weird. I can't be the only one that sees it."

Melissa stared at the wooden dummy she was practicing on as she spoke. Jordan was 15 feet away, motionless in his horse stance. Alice was 20 feet away from the both of them, kicking and punching the air while shouting exclamations and taunts to no one. Autumn would not be ignored.

"Why is he weird? Because he didn't shower his disciples with compliments and gifts? You won a stupid tournament..big deal!"

"You're only saying that because you didn't win anything Mcpherson. In fact you haven't entered a tournament in three years."

"You idiot! I want to perfect my devastating techniques before I reveal them to the world!"

Fall was preparing for it's debut. The merciless heat was making its exit, chilly winds and colored leaves were floating in again. The seasons had all the time in the world after all.

"Jordan and me winning gave Master Ryu and Robert some more credibility. We added to their good reputation. As my Dad would say…they got good press."

"It isn't about that though." Jordan's mouth was the only thing that moved.

"Still…it is good." Melissa put extra emphasis on the word 'good'.

"I don't think either of them care that much about good press."

"Well what do they care about Jordan?" Dan questioned. He had stopped attacking the air and was now next to Jordan and Ken standing with his arms crossed in front of him.

"They care about us improving as human beings."

"So they care about us getting stronger?" Melissa diverted the conversation to his point a couple steps ahead.

"Yes, they do."

"Better fighters." Alice added. Jordan moved out of his horse stance and was now standing next to Alice, wondering what Melissa was getting at.

"Then to be better fighters we need to fight them. We need to spar with them more! I mean we are champions now eh? Most of what's out there isn't good enough anymore."

"We need to intensify our training! I must perfect my deadly combinations!" Alice's eyes were skyward, with clenched fists.

"Well…you ask."

"Let's go right now. Come on Alice."

"OYAJI!"

Ryu took in a lungful of air, squatted and fidgeted until he was comfortable sitting Indian style. He slowly exhaled, the air making the choir of candles flicker around the modest, windowless room.

He had never attempted this before, to communicate with someone else…to have a conversation on another plane. Years ago Ryu mentioned that he had done it several times. As he slipped into meditation, as the world withdrew he could reach back and witness the moment, as if he were 15 again. The familiar woods, the fallen log Ryu and his master were sitting on.

"It is like concentrating on sending a spiritual beacon, if your spirit is strong enough people that know the way halfway around the world can notice it. At the same time you are reaching far for the beacon you want. It is very taxing…but obviously worth it."

Jordan followed his master's instructions, going on instinct. He pictured little flames, some violently flickering, some small and dim, some bright and calm. Little flames across untold distances.

"Hello Robert…I'm glad we had that conversation years ago."

Robert opened his spiritual eyes to find himself in the same woods from decades ago, but in his very adult and current body…with a slight pot belly intact.

"Master? But you're-"

"I know! I was given a gift, a little more time to with foot in the living world."

"By who? What do you-"

"I don't know who gave it to me, I just awoke with the knowledge of it. No I don't have a body. Most of the time I just do what I think I'm supposed to, observe and appear to those with the desire and skill to contact me."

"The forces over us must have rewarded you for your character and earthly work! How are you? How does it feel to be dead?!"

"Very freeing. But Robert I'm not the one you should be talking to." Robert paused after he spoke this time and Robert nodded slowly.

"Can you connect me to him?"

"Yes."

"Can I speak with you more before?"

"Of course. But don't expect me to reveal much of anything to you. My role is different now…I exited the stage."

"With all due respect Master Goutetsu, of course your role is different. You're dead! You've been dead for 7 years."

"I keep forgetting it has been that long. A year over there is like a day here."

"Have you seen my students?"

"Of course. Your take on our art is less primal to me at the core. Yet it still works because your students are strong, and they are taught well."

"Even Alice?"

"Alice is more my's student am I correct?"

"Yes but-"

"Yes he has potential. But his spirit isn't in the right place yet to fully unlock them."

"Good. Jordan your grandson hasn't completely conquered Satsui No Hadou has he?"

"Even within you it still lurks. It is small and weak because you do not channel or feed it. No it will never go away totally."

Robert frowned, Goutetsu chuckled. It reminded the master of Robert when he was much younger, grimacing at the amount of work Goutetsu had requested from him day after day.

"I'm going to let you two converse in private now. Do you have a last question?"

"How do you feel about Bellemere…your student and my wife…taking your life?"

"I'm proud of her. I don't mean to boast, but I wasn't an easy person to defeat."

"But he didn't have to kill you."

"It was a formal challenge Robert. As serious as they can get. If he had not killed me I would have killed him. It must sound repulsive to you, but that is how it is in some moments. You are trying to remove the killing intent for future generations…..that is admirable. But some people who are used to the old ways…know only that…"

"And it is hard to change."

Goutetsu nodded, and looked at Robert. He held his gaze until he casually and soundlessly faded away.

"Farewell Master Goutetsu."

"Robert."

Gouken turned around to find Bellemere squatting on the ground propped against a rock, her arms resting on his folded legs with his back slightly arched away from the rock. She looked cast in shadows. The purple aura around Bellemere's form was a razor thin line around his entire body.

"Bellemere. It has been too long." Robert searched for a hint of warmth from his wife, but he could only discern Bellemere's guarded exterior, with the face of a diplomat.

"I hear you have gotten a lot stronger through Satsui No Hadou."

"Yes. I hear you have turned your back on it, and taught your students a weaker version of our art."

"I made a choice. I am better for it. So what you will, but my students are not weak at all. They constantly surprise me with their skill and strength."

"They are not as strong as they could be."

"You haven't even met them."

"I don't need to. A weak master makes weak students."

"If I remember correctly, you were the weak one Robert. Not me." Robert watched as Bellemere's aura thickened considerably and began to slowly pulse. Robert said nothing more; he wanted to hear what his wife said next first. Bellemere however waited before she spoke.

"You are in a zoo, while I am in the jungle. I am more powerful than you are now, and I think I have been for years. I only continue to grow more powerful while you weaken."

"You fool!"

The pause in conversation after his response lasted a little too long for Robert.

"You want to fight don't you? Like the agreement you and Goutetsu fought under?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"When you tell me you are ready to die. When you are able to fight as nothing else mattered."

"I want to guide my students just a little more. A few more years. Then I can give you the fight you want."

"Fine. I will be awaiting that day. I hope you will be prepared…"

"Don't disappoint me Bellemere."

Bellemere's form began to flicker as his words carried more of an echo.

"Goodbye for now, darling."

Robert sat alone in the woods of his mind for a few more thoughts, then surfaced to find himself back in the same candlelit room he sat down in. He noticed the sound of footsteps drawing closer outside the door. Robert found himself breathing in deep and quickly, his mouth opening and closing and in time to his chest expanding and retracting. Robert noticed sweat on his chin forming a droplet, about to fall off to the floor.

"Did it work?" Ryu spoke through the closed door.

"Yes. I even met Goutetsu."

"Very interesting, how do you feel? Do you still want to spar with all of us?"

"Yes. Can you warm up with them first? I need a moment."

"We'll start in 10 minutes." Of course Ryu knew Robert never wore a watch and ignored clocks, but he liked to give a number. He knew whenever Robert emerged would be soon enough. With that, Ryu's footsteps were heard strolling away from the door and out to the students.

Robert wondered what went wrong, if anything was wrong at all. Was this the part he was supposed to play?

Robert stepped outside to find a circle carved into the dusty ground, seemingly with a large tree branch. It was 40 feet in diameter. Inside was, well everyone. It was Ryu versus the students.

Robert tossed his shirt off and re-tied his belt while walking, his grin getting bigger and bigger. A wall of white teeth poking out of a grizzly black beard.  
"We're getting warmed up master. I'm ready for you though."

Robert chuckled in a way that not coming from him would sound disrespectful and arrogant, but the laugh from Robert felt playful but still retained the slightly mocking undertone.

"I'm going to hold back less from here on out. Just letting you know. I feel I must quicken the pace." Robert hopped backward into stance, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

The students replied by getting into stance. The sky was beginning to turn orange; how much time would they have before nightfall?

Robert stopped beside Ryu and quickly stretched, still grinning.

"Don't kill em." Ryu smiles.

Chapter XXIV: The New World Warrior

These years were kind to the ambient mixture of souls at Sujyaku. They all usually ate together at breakfast and dinner. Lunch was very casual, served outside often.   
They found peace in chores and intensity on the sparring grounds. Now we find Jordan at 16, Melissa at 17 and Alice at 16. Ryu is 42 and Bellemere 61. Robert is 62.

\- Japan

The chilly air of autumn was fresh as Jordan paused to inhale a lungful. As he turned his eyes back downward and continued his unrushed raking the air seemed a bit spicy and earthy in his nostrils. Leaves skittered across the damp ground in the heavy breeze.

"I want to be sent to the Valkyrie Densetsu tournament with Jordan." Alice had stopped raking to make her declaration as the late afternoon sky was beginning to darken. Ryu and Robert wanted the porch and what was in front of it cleared of multicolored leaves. Melissa, Jordan and Alice were trusted with the task.

"To get eliminated in the first round where's the fun in that?" Ken muttered with his head down focused on the relaxing chore. Robert was 30 feet away from the three of them squatting cross legged. He was facing them but his eyes were closed.

"I want to go to the Valkyrie Densetsu tournament! I want that other plane ticket!" Alice's holler snapped Robert out of his approaching trance but the ponytail hair man did not open his eyes and raise immediately. He sat and listened to the familiar whining.

"Are you going to fight Jordan for one of the tickets?" Melissa sounded playful as she asked. She chuckled as Alice's face lost the look of concentration and she hastily continued raking.

"I am willing to settle this with a match." Jordan said flatly as the cold breeze played with the ends of his white headband.

"No not you. I gotta fight Robert for it." Alice's eyes narrowed and his voice lowered as she spoke. She felt like a villain in the midst of a plot. Melissa and Jordan exchanged funny faces at each other. Robert heard Alice and opened his eyes.

"Yes!" Robert sprang to his feet so quickly a nearby squirrel dashed off in fright. He began slowly walking forward with quite the sneer.

"You will have to fight me for it." His grin faded fast into a blank face as he stopped pacing. He folded his arms across his chest as he paused.

"There are only two plane tickets Alice. Jordan has the first one. That leaves one spot. Both of us want to go." Robert was standing still, not even blinking as he said the words. Alice was a few feet away from her; clenching her jaw with eyes narrowed on her teacher. Alice felt like a match was unavoidable. There was only the question of how serious this match would be.

"I guess…..I have to show you why I belong on that plane!" Alice balled her hands into fists at her sides as she shouted. Melissa and Jordan instinctively backed away.  
"Yes. You must prove to me that you deserve the trip to the Valkyrie Densetsu tournament in my place." Robert silently eased into his fighting stance. Alice spat on the ground and jumped into stance a second later. The sky was a pale grey with thin traces of clouds.

"Alright McPherson: All your whining is about to come to an end." Robert unbuttoned his shirt in an agitated hurry while Alice let her rake drop limply as she began walking toward Robert. Jordan and Melissa both had stopped raking also but still held their tools for proper leaf herding.

"At least we get to see it eh?" Melissa's voice lacked the light humor it usually had. It was flat and bored as Melissa stared at the ground sweeping. As if she had heard it too many times and saw a response as a wasted effort at this point.

Ryu heard the commotion from the kitchen and calmly set his cup of tea down and walked outside. There he found Dan being knocked down by Retsu while Ryu and Ken stood 20 feet away from the fight holding idle rakes.

"This is it kid. This is your chance to prove yourself." Robert stated calmly while still in fighting stance. Alice took in a deep breath and jumped forward. She landed in front of Robert and stood there wailing away with chops and punches while Robert held his bent forearms out like a wall blocking the barrage.

"You can't stand up for long against my furious assault!" Alice grunted in between shot breaths. Robert suddenly snapped and swatted away both of Alice's arms. He reared back his pointed hand and delivered a crane peck in the center of Alice's chest that made McPherson gulp. Robert attempted a front kick to Alice's crotch but Alice swatted the leg away and elbowed Robert in the ribs. Robert staggered and Dan jumped back 5 feet.

With a flick of her wrist a blue torso sized ki ball shot from Alice's open palm. It sped toward a smiling Robert. After a brief pause Robert sprang forward into the blast and slapped it to smithereens; gliding through the blue confetti toward Alice McPherson.

The palm strike was quick. So fast the only sound was Robert's sleeve flapping sharply and briefly. As Robert's arm rested again Alice howled and doubled over, her hand over her newly bloodied mess of a face. Her nose was the source of the leak.

"You are not ready." Robert's voice was clear, loud and unstained as he stood over the silent Alice.

"Perhaps if you spent less time running your-"

Alice leapt up and a burst of blue flame rose with him. Robert stood delivering a chop to Alice's neck that dropped McPherson again in an instant.

"You should have let me finish." Robert thought to strike Alice again, but instead waited for Alice to stand again before his 'lesson' continued. Robert was having fun and wanted to prolong it a little more.

Alice coughed and sputtered, on her knees with her palms to the ground holding up her upper body. Sweat rolled down the sticks of flesh and bone that were young McPherson's arms. Her disheveled blond hair was in her face. Her beady eyes were veiled as he looked up to Robert and began to speak.

"You're old…..I'm the hot new sensation!" Alice snapped up into stance and didn't bother to re-tie his neck length hair back into a ponytail. She didn't bother to wipe her bloody nose either and drops fell from her chin periodically. Robert scoffed and took a single step back. He cleared his throat and got into fighting stance.

"I've got to go….I've got to fight Anthony Vermilion!" Alice shouted with a heaving chest.

"So that is what this is about…" Robert sneered as he rushed in with a backhand across Alice's face too fast to avoid. Alice dropped to one knee with her eyes cast downward.

"Some silly revenge fantasy-" Before Robert could finish Alice had uppercutted him; a sudden burst of strength that left Robert stumbling and coughing. Alice straightened her back as Robert doubled over gagging and Alice McPherson's eyes burned with determination and semi rare gravity.

"It isn't silly. It is my reason to fight. To be stronger than him. To be stronger than most people so that when I fight them they lose and I win!" Alice ran forward to attack Robert while Robert closed his eyes and said nothing.

"Like I said…you don't deserve it!" Robert took a single step back and then rocketed forward coming at Dan with his leg bent and raised. The resulting side kick drilled into Dan's abdomen and the clipped "OWWF" sound Alice made was the only sound as the wind rustled multicolored leaves. Robert retracted his leg in a flash and hoped backward without taking his eyes off the still pink uniformed fighter. 

Alice stood quivering with an open mouth, bent knees and slack arms. Meissa and Jordan watched with mouths agape as Alice's eyes rolled back under her eyelids and she began to limply tumble backward. Once she dropped Ryu walked over to him and Robert took his time strolling the few feet over to McPherson also.

"I thought you were going to go easy on her? That is what I was assuming…" Ryu muttered as he inspected the unconscious Dan for injuries.

"I was going easy on him." Robert and Ryu were bent over the limp form of their pupil with discerning eyes.

"Eitherway Jordan it proves my point. McPherson was here for fame. Pay for his ticket out of here, but kick his ass out of here."

A runaway leaf dropped anchor at Alice's nose. The comedy of the leaf having more activity than the closed eyes and slow breathing of Dan was not lost on the audience. No one laughed as the leaf quivered in the wind because Melissa held his hand over his mouth.

"You're not going. You can't even hear me right now. Why is that?" Robert's voice galloped with satisfaction and snobbery. He shook his head while buttoning his shirt. Jordan looked down at Alice sleeping on her stomach and whistled a brief low pitched note.

"I'm not going to kick her out. She's going to leave of her own free will. Isn't that right Alice? We're just holding you back at this point eh?"

Alice didn't respond because she was still unconscious. Robert turned and walked away. Jordan and Melissa continued raking as Jordan ambled off to get a bucket of water.

Melissa silently peeked into Alice's room, sticking her head through the doorway. Melissa saw all of Alice's belongings scattered on the bed and the hardwood floor. 

Several half packed bags were stationed upright on top of the dresser and the edge of the bed. The curtains were drawn and occasionally Alice muttered some curse to herself. Melissa dropped out of sight as Alice turned around looking for something. Alice found her swimming trunks and stuffed them into a dark corner of the bag before her. He didn't notice Melissa tip toe off to confer with Jordan.

"Yeah, she's really leaving"

Jordan and Melissa offered to escort Alice to the bus station in the city nearby. Melissa drove her Honda. The car ride was quiet, the radio droned on with a monotone news report that climbed above the sound of other cars gliding across wet pavement. The quiet was one way you could tell Alice McPherson was not herself. The sky was a pale consistent grey. The sun was like a light-bulb covered in fog.

Alice looked out the window, her face stone. Jordan closed his eyes and exhaled. Melissa waited a few more minutes, thumbing the steering wheel as the car sailed along the freeway. After getting halfway there Melissa put in his Van Halen tape and passively bopped his head the rest of the way.

"Remember to meditate McPherson." Jordan stated flatly as he handed Alice her bags from the trunk. Alice mockingly bowed to Jordan in response. They had parked far in the back of the parking lot. An arm of the freeway in one direction and tall buildings in the other. 

To Jordan downtown seemed to buzz.

"We'll go inside too. Make sure you get on that bus." Melissa joked while carrying a bag in each hand. Jordan smiled, Alice emitted an obviously fake chuckle. No one called her on it. While walking to the front door glowing with inside light Melissa turned to look around. She saw damp skyscrapers smashed together, wet dark red bricks and various shades of grey with tinted windows. They can see you but you can't see them.

'They aren't looking anyway.' Melissa thought as she probed the blank grey sky for healthy clouds. She looked for a difference from the huge slab of uniform blankness. Thin scattered clouds didn't mean anything. An exception that said it would not be like this all day. She found none.

"They aren't looking anyway, too busy pushing papers and typing. Too distracted with their phone calls." As Melissa sighed he realized she had developed hang-ups about city life. Did she miss it so much while training she had to convince himself she hated the city? No she always disliked it when people took the presence of other people for granted.

But that wasn't a symptom of the city was it?

The automatic doors slid open with a quick rush of a squeak. Jordan and Alice were several feet in front of the paused Melissa walking into the clean white walled station. Melissa blinked then briskly turned and walked in himself. Melissa and Jordan stood off to the side holding bags while Alice dashed up to the ticket office.  
"I'm going to Osaka, where people like me belong! The fastest route please.

" The smiling lady in the booth was amused by Alice's enthusiasm and cheerfully fulfilled her request. The ticket shot out of a slit in the counter and Alice snatched it like someone else was about to take it from her. She walked back to Melissa and Jordan not smiling. She wordlessly extended her arms and Melissa and Jordan filled them with luggage.

"I'm going to Osaka, then Beverly Hills,CA. The terminal is this way." Alice's voice was low and he lead the way to the terminal line. Dan thrust his biggest bag over his shoulder and gave a thumbs-up as he trotted off. Jordan nodded and hollered "don't neglect your training in the city!" Melissa waved with a smile and took one last jab at McPherson:

"When we meet again, I hope your hadoken goes farther than your arm!" Alice stopped completely and turned around.

"F*** you Melissa Anne Heartily! You and Jordan Vermilion should come out of the closet already! You lovebirds won't be around to watch me shake things up cause you're both too scared to leave the forest! When I see you losers again I'll be rich and have my own dojo-" People in the bus station were starting to stare at Alice with a dash of pity but mostly contempt. Melissa and Jordan both noticed the attention. Alice did not.

"Aw shut up and get on the bus you bum! We love you!" Melissa shouted in a comically high pitched tone.

"We'll meet again!" Jordan smiled and waved and his voice was surprisingly light.

Alice turned around and dealt with the ticket taker. In another minute he was gone through the doorway.

"Hmph. That guy sure is a question wrapped in an enigma. " Ken chuckled. Jordan actually giggled. Both of them looked around the bus station, turning their heads all around like tourists. They saw the excited travelers, the stone faced road warriors and the anxious ones hugging the walls waiting.

"Let's go back to the forest now."

Jordan nodded in agreement.

"Are you going to fight grandmother soon?" Jordan continued staring at the wood left to be chopped as he spoke. His axe lay inert as it stood propped against a tree a few feet away; the blade growing cold on the ground. The snowstorm of the day had settled into a trickle of snowfall at night. A thick tarp of sparkling white covered everything.

"I believe so. But I've felt like this before." Robert stood a few feet behind Jordan, his bearskin cloak draped around him to his ankles. Robert treasured it because it was a gift from Kuwabatake and it was warm.

"I've been sure she'd show up…like a gut feeling sort of thing. But she never did. So I'm extra ready for him." Robert chuckled slightly while watching the snow drift down. As Jordan split logs from the ground he sensed something uneasy in his master.

"You don't want to fight him." Jordan had a knack for stating the weight on his mind. Robert didn't mind, he wanted to talk a little. He figured he had thought about it to himself too much.

"I do want to fight Bellemere. I do want to see who is the strongest between us…now. And how big the difference in strength is." Robert looked out at the night sky and wondered again why it was a purple red when the snow fell. Was it really the snow?

Jordan continued chopping, noticing the lift in Robert's voice.

"I want to see who is the strongest. I want us both to live after the fight. I refuse to believe it has to be a life or death battle to really matter." Robert brought his palm up to his face and examined it. Robert was surprised he could still see so many old cuts in such low winter light.

"Satsui No Hadou. It is in me…when I was younger I fought it. I've found a way; an alternative to just surrendering to it. You grandmother…she embraces the killing intent. Did she drift towards it? Did she fall? Or do I have it wrong?" Robert looked at Jordan, smiling an uncomfortable grin. Jordan felt confused.

"Of course you have it right! It is too much of a waste to kill needlessly. That age of brutality is past!" Robert's hearty laughter silenced Jordan and the young man went back to his chore as Robert cleared his throat.

"I'm not trying to be mean Jordan I'm sorry. It is just something else to hear pillars of wisdom I taught to you being stated back to me as reassurance. Don't worry I still believe! It is that my brother doesn't."

"How can you stop it once you feel it rising up?" Jordan did not look to his grandfather as he asked.

"Don't let your self be strapped into the mental roller-coaster. It happens on the inside…your feelings will simmer, boil and erupt. Satsui no hadou will show you visions of what will happen if you don't surrender to it.

You have to seize control of yourself then so you have to first recognize that it is happening. Also and this one is important…" Robert turned to look at the distracted Jordan as he paused.

"You must shed your ego concerning defeat."

"You can show him by sparing his life after you defeat him." Jordan did not turn to look at Robert as he spoke this time. Jordan did not see Robert nod and shuffle slightly in the snow.

"Yes you are right. Would he find his life being spared insulting? Jordan would you ever find it insulting?" Robert trotted toward Jordan, a curious look on his face. One swift stroke from Jordan's axe was enough for just about every log. Jordan did not cease his chore as he spoke. He was certain Robert was acting different. Did master have anything to drink?

"If I were left in a condition that I could not survive long. I was going to say 'if I couldn't fight anymore'…..but there is a life without fighting…"

Robert smiled. He was right next to Jordan now.

"Do you look forward to that life? A life without fighting?"

Jordan let the axe drop in the snow as he picked up firewood. He stood up with the wooden rectangles bundled in his arms.

"I'm not sure. I can't imagine it all the way."

"Interesting. Are you done with that firewood slow 'n' steady?"

"Our conversation was distracting me!" Jordan surprised himself with how easily a laugh or yell just jumped out of his mouth sometimes with his teacher Robert. 

Jordan felt it was out of character only well afterward. Robert realized early on that he could draw uncommon emotions out of Jordan and enjoyed doing so.

"Don't worry about what place you hope to get in the tournament. Fight fair don't eat heavy foods before matches." Robert nodded with closed eyes after he spoke.

-Concord California, United States

Melissa Anne Heartily was glad the tournament was closed to most of the media, something she helped make possible financially. There was a guy with a humongous video camera and two photographers ringside but most had to wait until the press conference after. This meant the coverage wouldn't be large, with articles shoved in the back pages of newspapers and 30 second clips for some anchorman's 'around the world in sports' montage.

Why didn't Melissa want attention? Because she knew the tournament would not be too difficult to win. She wanted attention for something challenging. She wanted to be worthy of the front page. As she trotted out of the ring draped in towels her muscles still twitched eagerly. As she splashed water on his face in the sink he reminded herself that the tournament was not a cakewalk, that man Allen had given him some good moments.

As she freshened up and prepared to meet the flashbulbs as the champion of the United States martial arts scene she wasn't tired. She knew he should be tired, exhausted and covered in bruises. She knew he should have been stumbling out of the ring supported by his trainers even if he was the champion. Especially if she was the champion! As she soaped up a washrag she wondered who would be at the 2006 Valkyrie Densetsu Tournament. He felt the mild sting of a few cuts as he washed. His shoulder hummed a little from too many targeted blows but nothing else.

"Melissa Anne Heartily, United States champion." Melissa said it to the mirror in a slow monotone like an announcer. She smiled after because she did like the sound of it. She had beaten everyone and been declared the winner. She had beaten everyone and had energy to spare. Now it was time to take questions about it. As Melissa passed through creaking locker room doors she just wanted to get it over with so he could see her sister Jessica she met at the dentist's office.

Melissa didn't realize wearing a red uniform with the sleeves torn off would cause such a stir. It made her feel a bit like a spectacle; not that she was disgusted by it. Melissa Anne Heatily, daughter of the influential Heartily family, coming back after her decade long stay in the Japanese countryside with a martial arts master. The media portrayed her as an extreme adrenaline junkie, the vibrant and robust young successor.

Melissa liked the attention, but was also glad she spent so much time away from it. She thought a younger version of himself would have let it go to her head. Melissa felt his self image was very healthy. That is why when people asked her about the red uniform he said:

"The color red just felt good to me…it resonated with me. I think my element is fire. Pretty sure it is."

"Does it give you power?" The reporter holding the microphone to Melissa's face asked. She was at a press conference held directly after the United States Martial Arts Championship tournament.

"The red uniform or fire?"

"Either one."

"No." As Melissa bluntly answered she wondered why she agreed to deal with the media before at least taking a shower. She dabbed his brow with a towel someone had handed her once she left the ring.

"The red uniform helps my mental game. I can't see where all the blood is." Half of the reporters laughed but Melissa thought it was amusing.

"Ms. Heartily you have been studying karate in rural Japan on and off for the last 12 years. Are you finally coming back to America now that you're champion?" The reporter's voice was flat and well annunciated. She spoke with a perfectly bland Midwestern accent.

"Yes actually! My teacher is growing tired of me eating all of his food and I will come home for good after I make one more visit. I'm sure I'll go back and stay a while in the future but for the next few years I'm finally stepping into the family business." The crowd of reporters exchanged nervous glances at each other as Melissa took a heaping gulp from her glass of water.

'Where can I go to watch the tournament in Thailand here…what time is it there right now?' Melissa thought, while her exterior was that of a relaxed gladiator listening intently to whatever the serious faced red hair girl holding the microphone had to say.

"Ms. Heartily there have been reports of your engagement in Shinto rituals…"

\- Sacramento,CA

"You've come a long way…but I've been doing this too long." Anthony cracked his knuckles as he spoke matter of factually. It was as if he was trying to re-assure his young opponent of his competence before the kid met defeat. Jordan said nothing in response as he rose from the ground a few feet away from Anthony. Jordan had just been sent to the ground by a vicious knee, his attempt at a shoryuken was too slow and too obvious. The crowd was seated and quiet during the final round of the 2006 Valkyrie Densetsu Tournament.

Jordan knew Retsu was in the stands somewhere, and he felt a twinge of embarrassment. Retsu had lost his first fight to Geki the ninja. As Retsu told Ryu what he knew from Gouken about Gen Jordan felt a rush of excitement. He had hoped to fight the famous crane master Gen but he disappeared after winning his match. Jordan was silently shocked as he advanced past Birdie and Geki to the third round.

Anthony's pupil Adon was strong but Jordan thought he moved around too much and his hadoken overcame the kickboxer. Adon's words from the ground before the paramedics arrived were:

"You beat me. But you have no chance of beating the king. No damn way."

He had given better than he had gotten. But no match did Jordan consider easy. As Jordan hopped in place and took stance he wondered how much farther he would go. The fight with Anthony had just started 2 minutes and 40 seconds ago. Jordan had spent the last couple minutes guarding and dodging with rare openings for attacks. 

Jordan had trouble finding openings because he was too busy defending.

Anthony strolled forward toward Jordan with a blank face and his arms at his sides. He wasn't guarding. He wasn't running to his opponent. Anthony felt both were unnecessary. Jordan's eyes darted from the crowd to the sky, to his approaching opponent, back to the sky and finally fixed his gaze on Anthony.

'I must focus. I must give him no rest.' Jordan thought.

Jordan rocketed forward on the ball of his back foot, in half a second he was in Anthony's striking range. Anthony stopped in place and waited for Jordan to open the latest exchange of blows. Anthony was still leaving himself unguarded, but this time he had a smirk.

Jordan hopped in place and performed a roundhouse kick. Anthony held up one bent forearm to stop the attack cold before it could reach his head. Anthony used his other arm to punch forward and down. Jordan had to use both arms to guard against the drilling fist. Once Anthony's fist retreated Jordan shot out with a front kick that was swatted away. Jordan then caught a right hook to the jaw that dropped him.

He was back on his feet in an instant. He didn't bother to wipe the blood.

Anthony's leg slashed through the air horizontally, Jordan's ducking roll saved him from surely being knocked unconscious. Jordan darted to the side of Anthony and delivered a precise kick to his unguarded ribcage. Anthony whirled around and kneed Jordan in the stomach. As Jordan's body sagged he lamented on underestimating Anthony's speed.

Jordan cocked back his fist and delivered a close uppercut to Anthony's ribcage, the same spot he kicked. Jordan jumped back before Anthony's response could land. Anthony's fist abruptly stopped in mid-air as if even his limb knew the target was missing. Anthony smiled and began to stand upright as his fist slowly retracted. 

Jordan remained in stance.

Anthony charged again. A sudden thunderbolt of energy with little warning. In a single bound Anthony was upon Jordan again. Jordan attempted a downward cop but Anthony simply side stepped it and jabbed Jordan's cheek. Jordan staggered and Anthony grabbed Jordan to throw him. Jordan took the opportunity to knee Anthony in the ribcage. Anthony grunted and backfisted Jordan across the face. Jordan's upper body jerked to one side and his hands flopped. Anthony then grabbed Jordan by his shirt and violently tossed him toward the other side of the arena. Anthony threw Jordan like he wasn't a human being. Jordan's body only skidded once.

"Stop going for my ribs."

Jordan lay still on the ground, but his head was swirling as if he were spinning while drowning.

What could he do now? How could he fight on when his senses blurred at random, when the earth under his feet seemed to swell and contract while his legs spasmed. How could he win when he could barely stand?

Jordan flipped himself over, once his back was on the ground he noticed he had gotten more blood on his white headband. His eyes were barely open, the sunlight burned too much. He had forgotten he was in Thailand while he was swimming in the ground. As the sound of the crowd rose in his mind, first a deep distant thunder but now crashing, chaotic, a smashing of individuals. Had Anthony made them louder, more excited while beating Jordan up? As Jordan slowly stood he knew the crowd held no allegiance; they just wanted to see a grand spectacle.

Anthony was far away, unreachable as he stroked the crowd. He was throwing his long arms and pumped fists to the sky, his face carried a big grin and his one eye shined with accomplishment. He paced a slow circle 30 feet away from the wobbling Jordan; a practice for his victory stroll out of the arena. The crowd was with him; his chanted name began to bring an odd order to the grandstands. The sound swept up background noise and swelled into a deafening uniform mantra.

Jordan straightened his back and swallowed hard. Perhaps the crowd did have a favorite. As he exhaled as deep as he could he heard the sound of Anthony's feet galloping across the tiles. Jordan swerved to the left as Anthony's fist raced past his cheek. Jordan kicked Anthony's exposed ribs and received an elbow to the jaw in response. As Jordan spun backward pounced with a raised knee.

The roundhouse kick from Jordan connected first and Anthony fell to one knee holding his chin.

"Pretty good." Anthony whispered. In a flash he was upon Jordan again. Jordan clumsily punched the air and Anthony kneed him in the stomach then backfisted him across the face. Jordan blinked but did not lose his composure and a violent exchange of deflected blows went on for 10 seconds. The clash slowed after Jordan's powerful front kick missed terribly and Anthony positioned himself while grinning. Jordan winced at the thought of what was coming.

Anthony's foot hooked into Jordan's side, the kick splashed a wave of burning in Jordan's insides. As Jordan rolled a few feet Anthony massaged his wrapped hands as he strolled forward. Jordan's body made scraping noises as he clumsily got up. As Jordan slid his legs under him a bit of dust jumped into the air near his knees.

He staged a bit and blinked several times but quickly regained his bearings and formed fists from his previously slack and heavy hands. Anthony smiled as he thought to himself:

'It shouldn't be much longer.'

Anthony stopped abruptly when he was in range of Jordan. The way Anthony lifted up and reared back only his right arm was mechanical. He fired the punch in an instant. The crowd hollered as the wrapped club of bone and muscle crashed into Jordan's sternum. Jordan skidded across the arena for 7 feet.  
"Why didn't the bum block it?!" A high pitched wail leapt from the crowd like lightning.

As Jordan lay heard the announcer far in the pressbox clearly through the loudspeaker. He was counting. Everything else was a distant, fuzzy haze. All the pain in Jordan's body tingled fiercely, it reminded him of an alarm clock ringing. Jordan could hear the announcer but he could not understand what was being said. Jordan felt he was losing his grip on consciousness. 

He was losing the fight.

The crowd was now chanting the count with the announcer. Jordan's waves of tingling intensified as he thought about how everyone wanted him to lose. This new feeling flowing over his body burned hot. Jordan lay on the ground and clenched his fist as he thought of going home with nothing but cuts and bruises. 

Or wrapped in a body cast.

"No….." Jordan's body creaked and groaned as he stood. His anger throbbing in his head, dulling some of the pain. Drowning out the pins and needles in his skin.  
"You want more?" Anthony's voice sounded so distorted to Jordan; like a dog barking gravel. Jordan read his lips and cunning smile and grew angrier. The blood pumping through his body thundered in Jordan's head.

"Bastard…." Jordan's voice was too low for anyone to hear him. Anthony read his lips and decided to attack.

The crowd was shocked and amused that Jordan was still standing. A second before Anthony was upon him Jordan looked into the stands with a stone face. He wanted to pluck out the eyes of all the passive spectators that watched violence like they ate candy. He wanted to rip apart all the scum that bet against him, sure the kid had no chance.

Time slowed for Jordan as the moment was upon him. He studied the dirty and blood splotched white wrappings on Anthony's cocked fist. He peered into Anthony's arrogant, wide eye and he had no thoughts in his mind. He was blank and emotionless as his body moved by itself.

The shoryuken was perfect. Jordan felt his knuckles tear into flesh. Jordan felt the weight of Anthony's body against his arm. Toward the end of the motion he felt the blood splatter on his arm. On his white gi. On his face.

The crowd was silent as Anthony crashed to the ground 15 feet away from a now knelled Jordan. Splotches of blood on the tile marked the path of flight, right up to the ever growing pool underneath Anthony's still form.

Jordan was out of gas. It suddenly dawned on him as his senses flooded back. His body felt two heavy, even his eyes required concentration to stay open. The crowd was a thin murmur of disbelief, the hushed whispers rolling through the stands.

Jordan started to hear an echo as he thrust his arms to the ground, propping up his sinking upper body. Through rheumy eyes he saw Anthony still did not move. The pool of blood had grown. Jordan let his body drop to the tile with a wet thwack. His eyes began to close as he saw the white shoes of paramedics galloping toward Anthony. As the sounds drifted farther Jordan caught one last word from the announcer, the word heard as if it came from atop a hill:

"Winner!"

Chapter XXV

\- Japan

The house was empty but it did not feel deserted. Ryu had been gone for 2 weeks and he would not be back for another 2 weeks. Jordan had been gone for about 4 days. Melissa had been gone a month but he was to return either later that day or the next. Alice was gone for good.

Robert reached his hand out to grasp the door handle, taking time to sense the cold metal. How long had Bellemere been sitting there cross legged waiting for him? With a click and a turn the door was open and Robert strode out into the dim sunlight of his porch.

Bellemere sat about 30 feet from him; sitting on the end of a concrete path leading from the gate to the front door. Surrounding Robert as he slowly walked toward Bellemere was the neat lawn bordered with ferns. Bellemere's back was still to Robert and Bellemere did not stir as her husband approached her. The clouds were long, thin and bland. They seemed arranged in dense rows through the whole sky.

Robert stopped about 5 feet from the meditating Bellemere. Bellemere still had not moved, Robert could not see his closed eyes or hands clasped in his lap.

Bellemere rose to face Robert unnaturally fast. The getting up and turning around seemed like one fluid motion. Bellemere stared at her husband and for once her face was not chiseled from stone. Her face looked slightly curious and he was almost smiling.

"Are you smiling?!" Robert laughed. The clouds seemed thin and spread too far.

"You've gotten fat." Bellemere teased.

"Hey that is muscle…" Robert looked down to pinch bits of his stomach and arms to demonstrate. When he looked back up at his wife the face he found was flat and serious.

"You'll soon find out." Said Robert with a cocky shimmer and tilted head. Now it was Bellemere's turn to chuckle.

Robert stared at his wife's relaxed face against the bulging dark cloud backdrop. His features had grown sharper over the years and his forehead had creases from grimacing. Robert couldn't remember the last time he had seen Bellemere so outwardly pleasant.

"How long has it been this time? I can't remember the last time you dropped by to scare my students."

"At least 4 years. It was in the fall that I saw you last." Bellemere turned away and began walking back toward the gate.

"No no I know a good place to fight in the west. That is what you came for isn't it?" Robert's voice was still light and it surprised him as the words came out quickly and playfully. As Bellemere abruptly turned and followed Robert's light jog the breeze felt cool on both their flesh.

Robert thought to look at the lonely house behind him but instead quickened his pace as they dashed farther from the cleared land and approached the forest.

Bellemere was a foot behind but they were running side by side. They ran for more than a few minutes; until the lonely house was out of sight and all that surrounded them was green and brown. As Robert's pace slowed he felt the anxiety in his muscles. As he stopped and turned to face his brother he cracked his knuckles and said nothing.

"Are you ready?" Bellemere spoke slowly, her face revealed no emotion. She stood up straight facing her opponent. Robert's arms were at his sides 10 feet across from him.

"Are you ready darling?" Bellemere's eyes widened for a split second then he fired a gou-hadoken. The purple ki ball whizzed through the air where Robert used to be and fizzled out 10 feet in the distance. Bellemere spun behind him just in time to deflect a jumping kick aimed for his head. Robert threw three more punches with his right hand which were all blocked.

Robert then quickly jumped back 6 feet and fired a hadoken. Bellemere reacted with a gou-hadoken out of instinct. The blue and purple fireballs collided and burst apart in an instant. Through the shimmering cloud Robert charged; landing a straight punch to Bellemere's chest with such force Bellemere fell back 10 feet.

As Bellemere rose a blue ball of ki rocketed toward him. Bellemere leapt into the air to avoid it and hurled a basketball sized ki attack at the earth. Robert calmly took a brief stroll to the left and watched the purple orb crash to the ground and kick up dust.

Robert noted to himself that the scar left behind in the ground was a crater deep enough to throw one's footing off. As Robert turned his eyes back to his brother he saw another gou-hadoken speeding straight toward him. He jerked his arm and swatted it away with a horizontal chop. The purple orb was cut cleanly in half;   
shattering into tatters a foot away from Robert's fingertips. Robert and Bellemere now stood 20 feet apart from each other. 

Bellemere was in his fighting stance while Robert was not.

"This isn't all of your power. I expected you to not hold back from me!" Robert grunted as he ran toward Bellemere. Bellemere's roundhouse kick missed horribly and Bellemere paid for it with an uppercut to the chin. As Bellemere absorbed another punch to the cheek he reared her fist back and Robert noticed.

Bellemere's arm fired a straight punch and Robert caught the extended arm and held it under his armpit. Robert then kneed Bellemere in the ribs and tripped her; backing away to let Bellemere stand back up.

Bellemere rushed toward Robert with a Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku; her body spinning as if it were a machine. Robert did not have time to avoid the hurricane kick and was knocked to the ground 10 feet away without a word. As Robert got to one knee Bellemere was upon him and Robert reacted with a shoryuken that sent them both 12 feet into the air. Robert landed on his feet while Bellemere did not.

Bellemere attacked again the moment she recovered; zig-zagging toward her opponent and delivering a crouching horizontal chop to Robert's ribs that made the man buckle. As Robert staggered Bellemere grabbed by the shoulders with both hands. Robert blinked and wrapped his fingers around Bellemere's throat. They tried various holds on each other as the forest surrounded them, turning the low sunlight into many pale beams.

"Give me everything you've got." Robert smiled as he spoke, a smile through a strained face. A smile with bloodstained teeth and shining wild eyes. The two brothers were locked face to face in a tangled grapple as it began to drizzle. Robert smiled because he enjoyed the droplets landing on his bare skin. He smiled because he knew how to break this stalemate.

Robert did not telegraph his headbutt. He did not lean backward to gain momentum, if he had Bellemere would know what was coming too quickly. Robert's skull shot forward and crashed into Bellemere's face. The next instant Robert felt Robert's arms slacken as he fell backward. Robert felt the hold untangle and he saw his wife's limp arms fly past him. Once he heard the wet thud he finally exhaled.

Bellemere lay on her back 6 feet away while Robert massaged his shoulder briefly then dashed forward. Bellemere raised her head and her arms and a crudely formed wave of purple jutted a few feet from where she lay. Bellemere darted to the right and fired a Hadoken as Bellemere flipped to her feet. The blue ball burst upon contact with Bellemere's unguarded chest and Robert jumped into the air as Bellemere staggered.

The jumping roundhouse kick missed completely as Bellemere turned and dashed deeper into the forest. Robert grunted angrily and ran after her wondering what he wanted to accomplish. As the leaves rapidly brushed past him he was reminded by his stomach that he was hungry.

Robert leapt over a bush and continued his gallop as soon as he hit the ground. His arms bent but stiff and his closed fists on the sides of his belt with the palms up. Bellemere had meant to lure Robert deeper into the forest. It was fine, but Robert wanted to fight and not chase. Robert's breathing was quick and even as his eyes searched the surroundings whizzing around him with precision.

"I defeated Goutetsu….years ago! What makes you think you can do better than him?" The voice was disembodied but clear; it seemed to come from the trees.

Robert stopped running and listened to the breeze blowing through all the trees. He was surprised at how little anger he felt at the moment.

"Goutetsu was past his prime when he fought you. I have been stronger than our master for quite some time now." Robert stated flatly. The deep roar from Bellemere told Robert that his brother would appear and attack very soon.

The wave of purple ki looked like an oversized sword blade; incredibly curved as it slashed straight down at Robert. Robert jumped up and away, scanning the treetops while his cupped hands built vibrant blue ki. He was level with most of them when he looked up at the sky for a brief moment. A sheet of grey was all he saw as a raindrop hit his nostril.

Once his gaze returned to the ground he was lucky to catch Bellemere springing off a tree trunk aiming for a mid air lunge. The blue ki shot from Robert's hands and burned branches on its way toward Bellemere. The instant before it connected there was a path of sizzling black that drilled through the immense green. The blue fireball slammed into a tree trunk while Robert landed and instantly ducked because Bellemere had appeared behind him.

Bellemere's leg slashed through empty air as Robert dropped low and rolled backward. Robert tumbled out of the roll and hopped a few feet to the right to evade a powerful stomp that made nearby twigs on the forest floor jerk with motion.

Bellemere grunted as she gave chase. She felt she was being toyed with. She was certain Robert was not in the proper fighting mode. Bellemere grew angrier at Robert for holding back his power. 'I will push him to the edge' Bellemere thought as she kneed Robert in the ribs, finally a hit after so many misses. Robert punched Bellemere in the jaw and sent her to the ground with an axe kick.

Sweat glistened on his bald head as Robert stood still waiting for Bellemere to get up. The breeze made his beard blow against his neck and face. Bellemere suddenly jumped from the ground and fired a gou-hadoken. Robert stuck one arm out, a blue ball burst forward. The two ki attacks collided and dispersed. Neither brother moved after the shimmering died.

"This isn't a game." Bellemere stated flatly, smoldering with scorn behind the veil of a stone face. Robert said nothing, only adjusted his stance.

A split second later Bellemere seemed to float forward, her eyes locked on to Robert but his form eerily still to be sliding toward her. She appeared drapped in shadow and crimson fire.

"I know that technique" Robert struck at the sliding form but his fist whizzed through the illusion. Bellemere was behind. Robert could realize it in time but not react as he absorbed an elbow strike to the side of his head, a right hook that threw his head back, and a gou-shoryuken that made his lungs burn.

Robert blinked and he was on the ground. His tan uniform that was already dirty was slightly singed now. Robert's head thundered, the rhythmic pulsing of pain scattering the thoughts. His jaw felt like it was close to falling off. A weight sat deep inside his chest.

"I can't let this become a marathon fight." Robert muttered as he rose to his feet. Bellemere was already rushing toward him; a thin outline of purple surrounding shadow.

They met and Robert took more than he gave. In this particular pulse of combat Robert absorbed two face punches, a knee to the stomach and a powerful straight punch to the center of his chest. Bellemere ate a roundhouse kick to the shoulder that broke up the skirmish.

Robert stumbled backward and tripped over a tree stump. He fell to one knee, breathing quickly and deeply through his mouth while his eyes darted around looking for his wife.

"Bellemere is strong." A purple fireball whizzed toward Robert from forested darkness behind him. Robert slapped it to smithereens before getting up. He galloped toward his brother noting how thinly the surroundings were peppered with trees. They met with a blue and purple flash following by a gust of wind that tore weak branches from surrounding trees. They furiously fought, darting and attacking at a pace that was inhuman.

Bellemere stopped a roundhouse kick cold with her right arm and punched Robert square in the nose with her left fist. Robert stumbled backward and fired a hadoken in front of him out of instinct. The clumsy blue ki ball was ignored as Bellemere ran past it and titled her body with her bent leg raised. The jumping side kick was narrowly avoided by Robert but as Bellemere passed she was elbowed in her unguarded rib.

Bellemere stumbled and Robert ran up and grabbed him by her hair. As Robert cocked back his fist he stared into Bellemere's bewildered eyes and felt her malice begin to leave her. A split second later Bellemere's eyes recovered their aggression and Robert felt productive as his right hook connected to his brother's jaw and Bellemere went limp as she fell. Robert jumped back 10 feet and shook his hand while he grimaced.

All emotion disappeared as he looked ahead at the ball of purple fire coming straight at him. The smooth curves seemed electrified and the shimmering orb was bigger than Robert's torso. Robert inhaled deeply and rushed forward. He kicked the ki ball up into the air and above the trees it burst apart into shimmers and sparks. Before Robert could collect himself Bellemere's fist slammed into his cheek.

As Bellemere wound her fist he saw the strain in Robert's face; the two tense veins in his neck as he reeled from the previous kick. As Bellemere's horizontal chop to the midsection connected she saw the wave of pain spread just from her husband's wide eyes and the fire inside her danced from the sight. As Robert flopped to the ground with blood in his beard Bellemere felt an enhanced sense of her own power.

Bellemere smiled because this feeling was not an incompetent man's fleeting wish under duress. This feeling was not a brief reaction to a small gain in the battle. This feeling was not a hope for the future. The feeling that she had gained a greater perception of his strength was fully upon her. She knew just the knowledge made him even stronger!

Bellemere also felt a rush of delight that seemed to invigorate her muscles. The delight in demonstrating superiority; with someone so perfect on the receiving end.

The purple aura around Bellemere intensified as she inhaled deeply; thin trails of purple dissolved up into the silver black.

"Is there comfort in the lie you live?"

Robert spat to clear his throat before answering; he couldn't tell where the glob landed in the mud because his eyes were kept on a still but ready Bellemere.

"It isn't about who is the best you bastard!"

Robert sprang backward without looking behind him to keep his eyes on Bellemere. His back foot slipped and Robert broke the still with a quick curse as he flailed about for half a second trying to snatch his footing. All the time Bellemere needed. Bellemere rushed forward with wild eyes and cocked fists.

Melissa approached the front gates of Sujyaku to find all of the house lights off. The house was enveloped in shadow save a weak porch-light that flickered rarely but consistently. The first door was really an iron gate, a break in the stone wall that surrounded all of the compound. Her key worked with a well greased clack. She walked along a series of stones surrounded by green grass that now glistened from the rain. As she walked toward the front door and paused and looked at the dark sky. The rain sprinkled her face and she felt a cold wave brush by her. 

Was it the wind?

The rain cast a mist over everything now, Robert's vision was blanketed in silver segmented streaks. Bellemere lay still in a deep puddle with wide vacant eyes and a mouth frozen in a half snarl. Her limbs splayed out while she was on her back. Robert looked around and wondered how the fight had carried out into this treeless plain. The thin edge of the forest was 40 or 50 feet away and what was left were scattered bushes, rocky ground and low slopping hills.

"It will be a moment before he gets up from that one." Robert muttered as he coughed a bit of blood. He let his body drop as he stared at the sky; the immense darkness now. His left arm was in terrible shape. Robert was barely able to lift it. Little cuts and bruises dotted his skin but the pain from them was annoying at best. In the rain Robert sat up and rubbed his side while yawning.

His organs felt like they had been in a blender. They hurt the most but his headache was competing fiercely. As Robert noticed his brother beginning to stir he felt silly trying to measure the relative strength of his aches because everything hurt. As Bellemere jumped to her feet Robert fired a hadoken. Bellemere swatted it away and rushed forward. Robert rocketed forward to meet her and instinctively ducked once he was within range of Bellemere's limbs.

The hooked side kick was a blur inches above Robert's head as Robert tacked Bellemere to the wet ground and began methodically punching him in the face and chest. Bellemere thrashed while she absorbed blows for about 5 seconds before the explosion of purple energy blew Robert 10 feet away. Robert landed on his back and immediately returned to his feet to find Bellemere in the air lunging for him. A haze of bouncing droplets buzzed a couple of inches above the darkened wet ground. Robert liked that the rain washed away the blood on his body. Yet his cuts stung a little more and the mud made the ground slippery. At least there was no dust.

Robert deflected a series of jabs from Bellemere's right then she ducked and rolled to avoid a sweeping downward chop from Bellemere's left arm. He fumbled like a drunken man to miss getting hit by a purple flame that somewhat resembled an orb shape. Robert charged feeling his heart thundering between his ears. The ground was slippery so Robert could pretend he was gliding toward his wife. Flying toward his enemy. Bellemere's eyes widened in glee as she sucked in more air with bared teeth. Lightning flashed in the distance just before they connected with each other and sent mud flying.

Robert knew Bellemere would attack first because he was overzealous at this point. He sidestepped a straight punch and reached for the outstretched arm with both hands. Bellemere's knee rocketed forward, figuring a throw attempt. Robert shouted "don't be stupid" as he stomped his foot while chopping both Bellemere's rising thigh and his uncovered ribs at once. Bellemere limped backward and cursed, firing a gou hadoken to occupy her husband and gain distance between them.

Robert blocked it, and fired a hadoken of his own immediately after. Bellemere slapped the blue ki ball away with a violent grunt. Robert smiled and gestured with his hand for Bellemere to continue the battle. Bellemere angrily tossed into the mud the burned tatters of her shirt and charged forward, shadows all around them and small dim fragile mirrors everywhere beneath them.

Bellemere was becoming faster now, hitting harder as the magenta aura around her intensified. Robert evaded a series of punches and chops but caught the hook kick in the temple. He jumped backward as Bellemere fired a fast gou hadoken. Robert rolled to the side to avoid it but as he looked up a side kick plunged into his stomach.

Robert grunted but knew he had an opportunity; grabbing his opponent's extended ankle with one hand while a wave of blue ki exploded from the other. Bellemere sailed limply backward into the night rain. She hit the mud with a splash and was back up and charging at Robert without a grunt or a pause. Robert swallowed hard and shifted out of stance. Springing on the balls of his feet with half closed fists under his eyes. Like someone that was done with formalities.

The ground was a slippery mess at this point. The sky was wrapped in night while the raindrops tumbled. The wind was no longer the consistent push to and fro now it lay dormant most of the time. Suddenly it would flare up in great gusts that bent tree branches and seemed to turn the rain sideways. Robert cracked his knuckles and looked around. As Robert began hopping in place he felt his heart thundering again. As Bellemere kicked up mud and water in her wild charge Robert felt she had the energy left for the last round of this fight.

Lightning flashed in the background as Robert dodged a side kick and deflected a downward chop. Robert absorbed a horizontal chop to his ribcage and grunted as a right hook made his teeth clatter together. As Bellemere moved in closer with a reared fist Robert fired back with a shoryuken, knocking Bellemere back 15 feet. As Bellemere smacked into the mud Robert cupped her hands behind her. As she poured ki into the glowing blue ball he thought of the attack knocking Bellemere unconscious and the fight being over.

Bellemere was up and galloping toward her opponent in three seconds, her arms pumping while the purple flames around her burned and sizzled.

Robert fired his ki ball out of a sense of resignation. Bellemere howled as she slapped the attack away with both hands clasped together.

Melissa felt uneasy as he walked deeper, a dull throb in her right side annoyed her. A recent injury that was mostly healed; now it was only whining. As Melissa looked up she noticed that the thick dark clouds seemed to match the rock in Melissa's stomach. As Melissa passed by the most probably spot Robert would be meditating she stopped and held her gaze on the empty space. A large boulder Robert had split cleanly in half in training over a decade ago. He took one half and slid it down the steep hill, where it currently rested. It lay with the flattest and widest side up. Ryu added a straw mat in the center.

Robert backfisted Bellemere with a grunt and watched his brother fall to one knee with his head down facing the wet mud. Robert followed with a roundhouse kick that flattened Bellemere. The thick splash was the only sound Robert heard as Bellemere fell on her back with an emotionless face. As the thunder rumbled Robert cast a look of contempt downward at hwe husband. She shifted out of stance to re-tie her belt.

"This is what you've wanted for so long. Stand up and finish this fight." Robert's voice was flat and even. Bellemere did not move, her body shrouded in raindrops.  
As Robert waited he wondered. He wondered how his wife had gotten this way, so consumed with malice. As the rain fell from the dark sky he wondered if it was too late.

He wondered if it was too late for them to really be brothers again after so many years of isolation. He thought back to happier times; the images flickering through his mind. Perhaps if he had just tried harder to let Bellemere know how much she cared for him things would not have been like this.

As Robert stared at his motionless wife he wondered how he could extinguish the wildfire of pain Bellemere had come to embrace. He thought of so many things he could have done then but what could he do now? All Robert knew is that he did not wish to fight the closest family he had anymore. As a bolt of lightning streaked across the western sky he wanted more than anything for his wife to stay down.

To admit defeat so Robert could tend to his wounds. To stop fighting so they could have long overdue conversation. He wished for Bellemere to be unconscious so when she woke she would find himself in a warm bed with the morning sun in his eyes.

Bellemere sprang to her feet again and instantly charged. Robert stood there and waited. When they met this time Robert did more deflecting than attacking; waiting for just the right moment to really hurt Bellemere. After Every ten punches from Bellemere Robert would land a hard right hook or uppercut. Bellemere broke the pattern when she elbowed Robert in the chest making him stagger backward.

As Robert gasped Bellemere dashed forward. Robert waited until the last moment to unleash her roundhouse kick and when it connected Bellemere was knocked to the mud 7 feet away. Robert clutched his chest as Bellemere's legs slid into standing position and her arms bent.

Bellemere would not stay down. She was absorbing more blows than ever in this fight but she was landing more also. She would be knocked to one knee and back up fighting before the last splatters of mud fell back to the ground.

Robert wondered how he could end this fight before Bellemere fell dead from Satsui No Hado or killed them both. Robert swatted away a series of jabs and plunged his heel into Bellemere's abdomen. As Bellemere tumbled backward a ball of purple ki rocketed from her hands. Robert was too slow to react and the attack burned away what was left of his shirt. As Robert couldn't help but notice the sizzling fabric fast footsteps sloshed toward him.

"Do I have to put you down like a rabid dog?!"

Robert hollered as he cupped his hands behind him to build energy. Bellemere charged with a stone face. When Bellemere was close enough Robert fired his Shinkuu Hadoken but the large blue ball only flew far into the rainy forest. Bellemere had gotten behind him and the Metsu Shoryuken that followed sent Robert high into the air coated in burning purple.

Robert could not believe how the pain was everywhere. All of his flesh screamed and his ribcage pulsed in agony as he looked out at the treetops. As Robert began to tumble back to the ground his mind felt blocked and damaged. He had no plans for what to do next as he floated through the rain. All he knew was the fight would end soon. Robert thought of Goutetsu and something clicked inside him. He turned himself around to face the ground as he fell.

Among the puddles and patches of grass stood Bellemere where Robert was set to land. Robert was about 40 feet from the ground and Bellemere wordlessly leapt into the air to meet her opponent.

As they met 20 feet in the air both of them fired tremendous ki blasts simultaneously. The flash of purple and blue sent Bellemere crashing into the mud and Robert spinning off to the side and landing in a pool of water 3 feet deep. Robert felt distracted and sluggish as he stumbled to her feet. She absent mindlessly slapped away a gou hadoken and watched his brother running at full speed toward him.

Robert closed his eyes as he mechanically re-tied his belt. He smiled from the raindrops falling on his skin. He did not want to fight anymore but he felt he must.

"You wish to surpass me…" Robert muttered to himself as the rapid splashes grew closer. He balled his fists and slid into stance while he exhaled a full breath.

Bellemere was upon her then; flying forward with a cocked back leg.

In the pouring rain and darkened sky the fight had its last peak. The two brothers darted around and clashed into each other with a rare intensity. Ken heard the rapid erractic cadence as he walked through the forest and felt a rock in his stomach that made him pause.

The rain made it harder for him to figure out where the sounds came from. In this exchange Bellemere delivered twice as many blows as Robert. However the few attacks Robert landed stopped Bellemere in mid movement and made him stagger or slip.

Robert was able to shake off most of Bellemere's hits in a split second.

They roared toward each other, both knowing the final moments of the battle were here. As Bellemere charged she thought of nothing. Her mind was empty and clear and she was not acknowledging any of the pain in her body. Robert felt like he was flying as he ran his fastest. He thought of the relief he'd feel after the fight was finished.

When they met Robert launched into a jumping front kick. Bellemere's face was expressionless as she dodged under Robert's leg and slipped behind her. As Bellemere elbowed Robert in the spine she felt energy boiling in every muscle. As Robert stumbled in the rain Bellemere grabbed his wife on the shoulders with both hands and released all the power he had left.

Robert felt a sharp stab in the center of himself as his vision abruptly left him in total darkness. In the black a tidal wave of pain crashed into him. It felt as if an impossible amount of fists were delivering a savage barrage all at once.

Robert could not scream and his body was frozen as blood leapt from his mouth. It was only a second or two but once Bellemere released his hold on Robert the Shun Goku Shatsu had devastated. Robert instantly dropped face first into the mud. Smoke rose from his still body as the rain tumbled without pause.

Melissa heard a tremendous crash, it sounded like an explosion and it make her stop cold in the wet forest. She initially thought it was a thunderclap but as she realized it sounded too close she swallowed hard and took off running in the direction of the sound.

Bellemere knelt over her wife and slowly turned the limp body over on her back. There was only the sound of the hard rain now as Bellemere peered into Robert's mud covered face. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open as dirt slid away back to the ground. Robert's face held no expression. Bellemere's heartbeat was beginning to slow down. 

Her strength slipped away from her fingertips and it seemed to fizzle into the air.

As her power faded all the pain rose in response; lighting Bellemere's nerves on fire. Bellemere stood up and stumbled backward a few steps. The dizziness was more than he expected. As she looked into the dark sky she felt a chill gallop through her body. She was weak, she was hurt but he had won. It was the best fight she had ever had. As Bellemere turned away and slowly limped away she felt an urge to thank her husband. 

As she clutched her left side she felt foolish for his previous thought.

Melissa approached the sizable clearing and saw a figure slowly walking. She couldn't see who he was but she could see the injuries in his movements.

"So there was a fight…" Melissa muttered to herself, his feeling of uneasiness expanding to her limbs. As Melissa looked closer she saw a still body in the mud and gasped. She took off running with panic in her eyes.

Bellemere hadn't walked 20 feet from Robert when Melissa came upon her. Bellemere stopped and stared with a remarkable un-interest at the girl breathing hard and quickly. Melissa's eyes searched Bellemere's face and found nothing.

"Are you Jordan's grandmother Bellemere Vermilion? The Ultimate Tiger?!" Melissa shouted with balled fists.

"I am no demon. I was Robert's wife." Robert nodded behind her slightly while Melissa howled in anguish.

"I am too late….." The sadness overtook Melissa's anger and it made her knees weak. The moment did not last for Melissa's rage returned in an instant stronger than ever. She shifted into fighting stance, her eyes cold as they focused on Bellemere.

"I'm going to kill you right now you crazy b****." She stated flatly while she focused inward to control himself and bring her power to the forefront.

"You will try." Bellemere still seemed indifferent as Melissa charged.

Melissa did not get the chance to attack. As she leapt Bellemere shot her leg out effortlessly. The kick connected with a crash to Ken's temple that made her go limp instantly. Melissa sailed through the rain 25 feet with a bush to soften her landing. Her body flattened the bush and flopped to the ground beside it. She did not get up and she did not groan. Bellemere waited for a moment then continued walking.

Bellemere scolded his brother for training such a weakling as she limped. Then she remembered there was another, the stronger one. As she feet lazily sloshed in the mud Bellemere felt no achievement and it disturbed her. Hadn't he been waiting for this moment for years, for decades? There was no pride of accomplishment only appreciation of great struggle as Bellemere walked away from the two bodies laying still in the rain.

Bellemere thought of the next fight, she thought of returning to her island to recover and train. She thought of the brilliant clash she and the boy Jordan Vermilion would make in the future.

She would make sure their paths crossed in time. For now, there was only the pain flooding his thoughts and the journey back.

Jordan told the Phantom Thieves the whole story starting off with how he was happy with his master, then how Bellemere attacked Robert and fought dishonorably. By the time his story was nearing its end the kids slightly choked up. It made them sick to think that someone could be that heartless. I can't believe someone would kill a family member and succeed on doing it.

"Bellemere my grandmother had taken my grandfather from me, from the world. Not long after that I competed in the Valkyrie Densetsu Tournaments and you all know the rest" I reached up and wiped the tears away from eyes "I never told you all this because I did not want Akira and Ann's training to be tainted by poison of hatred.

I did not want you to feel the sorrow that is still in my heart, but now you know who Bellemere Vermilion really is. She serves no great purpose; she fights no great evil. She is great evil. Any endeavor she undertakes she does for his own selfish gain.”

"Man, we are such an idiots" Ryuji and Akira said. "Yes, yes you are" I totally agreed Haru said. "I could've told you that" Morgana teased. "You've been played Ryuji" Futaba began "We saw you coming a mile away." "Epic fail" Ann uttered pulling her blanket tighter around her. "So, what are we going to do about it" Makoto asked. "If Bellemere, Juri Han or that Saiyan Hokari and his army wants a fight.

I think we should give them one" Akira said "Phantom Thieves style." The kids slightly agreed with him and bowed to Master Vermilion. They stood up as soon as Jordan went to his room to meditate.

The Thieves thought about the past history of the Vermilion family and the Satsui No Hado it was a dark and tragic love story and Jordan's grandfather suffer because of it that's why Akira and the other wanted to help Jordan and combat his enemies even if they risk their they protect him at any cost.

**Author's Note:**

> In the beginning of the story the Phantom Thieves appears in the story and it take place after Persona 5.


End file.
